


Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Fractured Elements

by cynsh



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action/Adventure, Friendship, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-17 15:30:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 164,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14192064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cynsh/pseuds/cynsh
Summary: An amnesiac, human-turned-Chimchar wakes up on an island solely populated by Pokemon. A travelling Riolu agrees to help him, but after growing suspicious of the island's erratic climate, they find themselves on a journey more dangerous than either could've imagined.





	1. The Storm and the Treecko

Something rough brushed over his face, stirring him awake. He opened his eyes and flicked his head, which was all the leaf needed to fly away again.

He blinked to adjust to the harsh daylight, then paused.

_I’m outside. Why was I sleeping outside?_

He tried sitting up, but his head ached immediately, making him groan and slump back down. So on his back, he looked upwards. There were trees, enormous ones, obscuring a cloudy sky. He managed to turn his head sideways, but there was just more huge trees, huge shrubbery, some kind of dirt path on the ground. Was this a forest? A forest for giants?

_More importantly, what am I doing here, alone? I don’t even recognise this place. How did I get here? I don’t remember–_

He froze. He _didn’t_ remember. The strangeness of his situation automatically made him cycle through his memories for some kind of clue, but they returned nothing. It wasn’t like a temporary mind-blank; everything had gone. He’d hit a virtual brick wall.

Deep breaths. Breathing itself felt peculiar for reasons he couldn’t identify, but he ignored that thought for now. He tried searching again, battering against the mental wall. _I can’t have forgotten everything. I can’t! There must be something–_

As if in response, his head suddenly felt like it was splitting in half. He screamed and closed his eyes, heart thudding in his ears like Rapidash hooves. His hands moved of their own accord then, towards the base of his back. They felt something warm and he was instantly a little calmer, his headache receding.

He listened to his surroundings. There were bird cries in the air, a gentle breeze blowing leaves, water flowing from a nearby river. The sounds were so crisp and sharp to his ears that for a moment he was content to soak them up. But then his consciousness bit back at him. Now he was asking: _Why can I feel heat underneath me?_

He opened his eyes to check, and felt like screaming again.

His body was… where even to begin? Fur covered everything, either orange or light-yellow; his stomach had a weird swirl marked on that he couldn’t remove; he felt what was surely claws hidden within his fingers and toes, the itchy sensation making him squirm. Turning on his side and twisting his head, he saw that where his back should’ve ended there was a stub, whose end was burning with a red-yellow flame.

He stared at the flame. Very slowly, he moved his back an inch. The flame moved with it. He moved a shaking orange arm towards the flame and felt no change in temperature, then pushed his whole hand inside. All he felt was that nice warmth again. He grabbed the nearest thing he could find, a clump of grass, and did the same procedure; this time it charred in the heat and quickly fell through his fingers. So this fire attached to him was real. Was _he_ real?

The river was in his periphery a few feet away. _If this was a dream, then my reflection would look funny or something, right? Maybe? Please?_

Of course, there was an equal reason for seeking the river. If this really _was_ real, he needed to look at his body properly.

He moved carefully so not to trigger another headache. Yet he still collapsed on his stomach the moment his legs were planted to get up. His centre of gravity felt completely different. He fared better on the second attempt; then he kneeled upon reaching the river until his head poked over the edge. Looking back at him was a terrified, confused creature, whose head seemed as big as the rest of its body combined, with massive ears and eyes and some strange fluff sticking up on top of it. He waved a yellow hand across his face, and the creature did too. He moved it through the water; not only did it ripple but it made his hand sting a little.

He stared at the reflection for some time, as if daring it to go away, to show him something _human_ , rather than…

He paused, and this time a thought did float through his mind, a name. _Chimchar._ Yes, that’s what he was. A Pokémon.

 _But… but how?! How can this be happening? I don’t understand! I’m a human, I’ve been a human all my life, that’s what humans_ do _, they don’t just… turn into Pokémon! Why can’t–_

A sudden gust of wind threw him forwards then, and he squealed in trying to retain his balance. As he scrambled away from the river’s edge, something hit his shoulder. He looked up; the sky was covered in stormy, dark clouds. A few more raindrops hit him and they stung like his hand had done. It couldn’t be acid… could it? As a painful drop sizzled his tail, he realised. _Rain… water! Chimchar’s a fire type. I’m_ on _fire! I can’t stay here, I need cover!_

The rain intensified, and his energy was dropping alarmingly fast. He hurriedly looked around, but all he could see were those huge trees in every direction. Without time to hesitate, he chose a clear looking path to his right and took off.

_If I don’t find somewhere protected, I’ll surely pass out from this rain. And what then? There are probably other Pokémon living here... what would they do to me?_

He was getting more used to his body now, but running on two legs felt extremely clumsy. His arms seemed to push downwards against his will, his back asking to hunch over. He had little energy to try resisting the feelings, but was still shocked at what happened when he gave in. He was running on all fours, and it felt _good._ Far more balanced and agile with his back legs pushing forwards.

The rain was only getting heavier though, even with the trees offering some protection. He scanned the area again. His sense of vision, much like his hearing, felt enhanced, and  enabled him to see the shelter about 200 metres away. A group of fallen tree trunks created a half-roof type structure, which he bet would be enough to shield him.

He was approaching as fast as he could, but the rain continued to pound down. He gritted his teeth, the few of them he had, trying to block out the pain. _Just... a bit further…_

When he thought he was about to collapse, he reached the shade and dry of the first tree and immediately felt a wave of relief on his chest. He walked a little further until he could be sure he was safe. It seemed the adrenaline, or whatever else was carrying him, was wearing off rapidly, and he collapsed onto his stomach out of exhaustion. He was content enough to lie there in half-consciousness.

After some time he sensed another presence nearby. Shaking off some of the water from his head, he looked up. A furry blue-and-black face with a big muzzle stared back at him. He squealed and feebly shuffled backwards on the ground. _Please don’t attack me, please don’t attack me…!_

The Pokémon didn’t move, but made a sound like chuckling.

“Hey, I’m not a wild, ‘mon,” it said. The Pokémon instantly attributed itself as male in his head, though he couldn’t understand why. “Even if I was, attacking you like you are now would be a low move.”

At first, he didn’t really hear what the Pokémon said. _This Pokémon just spoke to me, and I understood them? But I guess, if I’m a Pokémon too, it makes sense that I speak their… language? Do Pokémon have a language?_

The blue Pokémon frowned at him. “Are _you_ a wild? That why you can’t speak? I assumed you were a traveller too, seeing as there aren’t any Chimchar around here…”

He didn’t know what _wild_ meant, but it didn’t sound good. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth. “I, uh…” He cringed; his voice felt completely foreign, too high pitched and childlike. But the Pokémon’s eyes widened, amused, and he felt he had to finish. “No. Sorry.”

“Mmm,” the Pokémon said, smiling. “Well, you have a name, I take it? I’m Ryu.”

He paused. _My name… do I know my name?_ Somehow, Ryu’s question caused something in his mind to click.

“Yes!” he said aloud. “Fen! My, uh – my name is Fen.” If words were inanimate objects, he would have hugged this one with all his might. He looked at Ryu’s confused face, and another memory came to mind.

“Wait, Ryu, you’re a Riolu? That’s why your name’s... like that?”

Ryu looked at him as if he was an idiot. “Obviously. You’ve never heard a name like that before?”

Fen looked blankly back at him. _I didn’t even know you could talk, how am I supposed to know what you name yourselves?_

But he was quickly realising that Ryu was his only grip on this strange, scary environment, and he didn’t want to lose that.

“I’d just forgotten what Riolu looked like,” he said, half-truthfully.

Ryu nodded slowly. “Alright then.”

He took a bite from a red berry in his hand, and Fen’s stomach lurched uncomfortably. He was suddenly intensely hungry, so much that he worried he would properly pass out if it wasn’t sated. Gathering his courage, he spoke to Ryu again.

“Ryu, what are those berries you’re eating? And do you have any spare? I just realised how hungry I am…”

Ryu gave a bemused smile. “Sure but, how can’t you know these? They’re cheri berries. And we’re in Cheri Forest. There’s no way you could walk in here and _not_ know what they are...”

 _Cheri Forest._ Fen felt his hopefulness drop another level at the unfamiliar name. He looked sadly at Ryu and just shook his head, a lump forming in his throat.

Suddenly, the Riolu’s expression changed from amusement to serious worry. Perhaps even panic. He bent down to Fen’s eye level.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked. “You’re… not okay, are you? Did something happen?”

Fen took some time to compose himself. He might have had very little to hold onto, but refused to break down in front of the first living thing he met.

“Quite a lot, yes. I woke up in this forest about an hour ago and, well… I don’t have any memories. I don’t know how I got here, or where this is, or what those berries are, or what a ‘wild’ is, or who _I am_ – I didn’t remember my name until you asked me. There’s nothing. I tried to remember, but it’s like some kind of wall in my mind, and pushing against it really hurts.”

 _And that’s not even the worst of it,_ he thought. But while losing one’s memories sounded just about plausible, he was sure that a human turning into a Pokémon verged on insanity.

Now Ryu was lost for words. After some time, he murmured, “Losing your memory, that’s… I didn’t think that was possible. Any idea how it could’ve happened?”

Fen shook his head. “I wish I knew.”

“I mean, I’m not doubting your story. You can’t have acted like you just did if you were lying. And you’re saying you woke up in this forest but, like I said, you won’t find any Chimchar in here, far as I can tell. You sure you weren’t like, dropped from space or something?” Ryu smiled, somewhat nervously.

Fen didn’t say anything. _It doesn’t sound too outlandish on top of everything else..._

“And here, I got plenty of cheri berries earlier,” Ryu said. He opened a rugged-looking backpack that was sitting on a rock and pulled out a handful, tossing them over. “There’s loads in the forest, so don’t worry about that for food.”

Fen thanked him, then took one of the berries and had a bite. It had a slightly spicy kick but little else. Still, it was good enough to satisfy his hunger, so he kept eating.

“Do you have any water?” he asked, feeling a thirst as strong as the hunger. Ryu passed him a flask which did the job, and he thanked the Riolu gratefully.

Ryu looked out to the storm. Rain still hammered furiously against their tree shelter. “This is really heavy,” he murmured, then turned back to Fen. “So, what d’you plan to do once this is over? Do you... have _any_ ideas?”

 _I’m surprised you’re even asking,_ Fen thought. There was only one viable plan he could think of, though it was difficult to raise right away.

“Ryu, you said you’re a traveller?” he said. “Where are you travelling to?”

Ryu smiled sheepishly. “Heh, good question. I don’t really have an end-point in mind, but I _think_ that staying on this forest’s path will lead to Sanguin Town. I guess I’ll be taking a look around there.”

Two things puzzled Fen most about Ryu. Firstly that the concept of a travelling Pokémon, with their own bag and everything, felt utterly bizarre. And second that Ryu had made no hint of a reference to humans so far.

“What kind of a place is Sanguin Town?” Fen asked. “And what does ‘taking a look’ translate to?”

“Uh… I’ve never been there, so I can’t say much. But I think it’s got houses, and there’ll probably be jobs to be done, and… I think it’s the biggest town on Kyunn, actually. Kyunn is this whole island,” Ryu added helpfully.

Fen nodded. “There’ll be jobs for Pokémon to do, you mean?”

“Well yeah, of course. Who else would do them?”

Fen made an involuntary gasp. Ryu was surely implying that no humans lived here – on this ‘Kyunn’ – at all. How could that be? How far away were they from where he used to live? Was it another world entirely, where Pokémon could talk, and they alone had built civilisation?

Ryu was looking oddly at him again. Fen knew now wasn’t the time to question this, and instead asked, “Can I come with you, Ryu? Please?” He hoped his tone of voice wasn’t too desperate, though it was difficult to hide.

Ryu didn’t seem surprised, but he hardly jumped at the idea. “I didn’t want to travel with anyone… _But,_ I suppose this is a different case. So, yeah, you’re welcome to follow me for a bit. Luckily you’re a Fire, and this place has mainly Grasses and Bugs, so you’re well covered if we run into any wilds.”

 _Wilds._ That word again. “You mean, wild Pokémon?” Fen asked.

Ryu shrugged. “I s’pose so. They’re essentially Pokémon that’ll want to fight if you come too close.”

The mere thought of fighting something was setting off more alarm bells in Fen’s head. “I can’t fight, though,” he said. “Or, I don’t remember how to.”

“You can’t–?” Ryu blinked at him. “Yes, you can.”

“I think I’d know if I could,” Fen shot back. “I don’t remember–”

“It’s not about remembering!” Ryu interrupted, jumping to his feet. “It’s like – everyone can fight! You don’t need to think about it. If you… It’s weird to explain this. Your memories really got scrambled, huh? When we get in a fight situation, you’ll see what I mean. I’ll _make sure_ you see,” he added with a wry smile.

Fen hoped he was joking.

Ryu peeked out of the shelter, which had stopped hammering with rain. “Sky looks pretty clear. We should get going, if you… whoa.” Fen saw his eyes widen. “When did _that_ happen?”

Fen followed his gaze. He saw with alarm that the storm had knocked several of the forest’s trees, admittedly smaller ones, straight off their trunks and into the path.

Then one of Fen’s ears twitched involuntarily, and heard a faint sound coming from the fallen trees. He walked closer, and before he could dwell too much on the strange sensation, he noticed what was wrong. “Ryu! Agh, something... something awful’s happened!” He gestured wildly.

“Huh... what d’yo–”. Ryu stopped in shock at the sight in front of them. His next words were barely audible. “Oh, _Mew_ …”

Underneath one of the larger fallen trees, there lay a Treecko on its stomach,  legs crushed underneath the bark’s weight. Its arms were splayed out ahead of it, weakly thrashing about, and it choked on tears as it squeaked semi-coherently, “Please... help... _anyone_ …”

Fen could hardly move. Could this day be any more of a nightmare? He’d woken up as a memory-less Pokémon, barely survived a storm, and now he was watching a Pokémon die right in front of him...

 _No!_ Determination stirred within him, enough to break him out of his frozen state. He gave Ryu a shake, as he looked frozen too.

“Ryu, can we lift this?” he asked, gesturing to the fallen tree.

“Uh? Oh… yeah, ‘course.” Ryu slowly walked up to the tree with him, then they took hold of the trunk and heaved. Fen was expecting a struggle, but to his amazement Ryu’s side of the trunk lifted at once, which was enough to roll it away from the Treecko's body. However, even with the tree gone the Pokémon lay flat on its front, unable to move.

It must have been a very young child, being barely half Fen’s size, but it knew some language, which made him a little more hopeful for its survival. He carefully kneeled down next to it, conscious to keep his tail flame out of the way.

“Hey,” he said, doing his best to sound comforting. “Are you alright? Were you with someone when this happened?”

The Treecko turned its head ever so slightly to face Fen, and spoke in gasps. “With mum. For water... we were going–” she jerked her head left to indicate the direction.

Fen tried to think of what he would do next, but an equivalent scenario of trees falling on humans didn’t exist in his mind. “Okay... what’s her name?” he asked, hoping the Treecko’s mother would at least have one.

The Treecko winced in pain for a few seconds before she could answer. “Tali,” she said, before crying out loudly again.

Fen nodded. “We’ll find her... it’s going to be okay, yeah?” he said, before remembering another crucial detail. “Sorry... what’s _your_ name?”

The answer was barely audible. “Eka.”

Fen scooped the child into his shaky hands, who didn’t resist, and stood up. Ryu hadn’t heard their hushed words and his eyes were wide with fear, so Fen explained as calmly as he could.

“We need to find her mum, Tali,” he said, then pointed left. “She said they were going this way. Presumably they got caught up in the storm and were separated. We should try calling out her name, heading that way.”

After a few seconds’ pause, Ryu gave his head a jerk. “Alright.”

Evidently this situation was new to him as well.

They ventured off the path and into the recently soaked long grass. Fen hated it not only for its wetness but for the fact it was practically up to his shoulders, making any vision difficult. They walked as quickly as they dared, as the little Treecko was still a substantial weight in Fen’s arms, and they wanted to make sure they could be as easily found as possible. As they cried Tali and Eka’s names as loud as they could, Fen checked continuously that Eka was still breathing. She wasn’t losing consciousness, but still whimpered with pain, her eyes squeezed shut.

It turned out ‘left’ wasn’t a great direction to rely upon either, as they were quickly blocked by some thick brambles. They ended up taking the most viable path that appeared.

At one point, a Pidgey appeared from just above the the long grass to their left, screeching and flying straight for Fen. He yelped with terror, unable to defend himself with Eka in his arms. But as the Pidgey was about to strike with its beak, Ryu materialised in front of him from nowhere and aggressively swiped it away.

His fist made no contact, and the Pidgey pivoted around a tree before diving in again. This time Ryu threw his whole body into it with a grunt; the Pidgey hurtled through the grass, nearly dropping to the ground, but it squawked and flapped clumsily towards Ryu once more. Ryu ran and threw his fist at the bird so fast that it disappeared before Fen could fully process the attack.

Ryu looked behind at the two terrified Pokémon he’d defended, and nodded them ahead, a slightly wild look in his eyes.

“Ryu…” Fen gasped, “that was amazing… thank you.”

Ryu just muttered something about the Pidgey being weak, then lead another round of calls for Tali.

They had been walking for about half an hour when they arrived at yet another impassable piece of forestry. “TALI!” Ryu cried. He sighed, rubbing his muzzle. “What if the directions she gave us were wrong? This place is too big to–”

He was cut short then as a green tornado barrelled into his side, throwing him several feet. Fen instinctively threw himself to the ground and into a ball, clutching onto Eka, as he anticipated an attack.

He heard Ryu bark, “Hey, watch where you… huh?! Fen! Uncurl yourself, it’s okay.”

Fen lifted his head up to the slightly terrifying figure of a Sceptile on its knees, staring down at him. It took him a few seconds to make the connection between her and the Treecko.

“Oh, you’re... Tali?” he stammered. The Sceptile said nothing, but bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. Fen lifted Eka from his quivering hands towards her body. She very carefully took Eka in her arms, before breaking down in tears.

She said nothing, simply hugging her child. Eka had at least now opened her eyes, though she was too weak to say anything.

“Her legs are... not in the best shape,” Fen said carefully. “We think a tree fell on her in the storm. She’ll... be okay, right?”

Tali glowered at him then, but she spoke much softer than he would’ve imagined. “I have no doubt. It may take time, but we have oran berries stored at our home here for situations just like these. We were running to get out of the storm when I must have lost my grip on her. We can deal with rain just fine, you see, but the wind it brought was too much to handle... oh, but if only I had something to offer you both! I would have never expected a couple of travellers to go out of their way like this. With all of my heart, I thank you. If there’s anything I can do in return... anything, please just ask. Oh, and Riolu.” She glanced at Ryu regretfully. “I was panicked, running in the direction of your calls, and couldn’t catch sight of you in time. I am sorry.”

Ryu shifted awkwardly. “Heh, s’cool,” he said.

He beckoned Fen over then. “Dunno about you, but I’m totally lost in here,” he muttered, and Fen smiled, agreeing. They’d never considered in their haste where they were actually going. Fen sensed what Ryu was thinking. “I’d ask her,” he said.

“Um, Tali, there is one thing you could help us with,” Ryu began. Tali was still on her knees, meeting them at eye level. “We were heading for a place called Sanguin Town at the end of this forest, but we’ve gotten a _liiittle_ lost out here, so... do you know the right direction to go?”

Tali chuckled softly. “I _can_ help you there. You’re not far from Sanguin, actually. The main path to reach there should be, hm, I make it south from where we’re standing.” She gestured behind her. “You were on the main path before, I take it? So following this way from where you’re stood should lead you straight there.”

Ryu smiled. “Alright, thanks.” After Tali reciprocated, they set off along her route.

“Y’know, Fen,” Ryu said when they’d rejoined the path, “I didn’t think I’d be saying this back at the tree shelter, but I’m glad you were with me then. I wouldn’t’ve had any clue what to do with Eka on my own. I was frozen; you snapped me out of it.”

Fen lifted his head up and saw Ryu’s red eyes glowing with a genuine admiration. Slightly embarrassed, he stumbled towards an answer. “I wasn’t sure what to do either, but… well, I’m glad it all worked out. I should thank _you_ for protecting us from that Pidgey.”

“Oh, that was nothing.” Ryu shrugged, then gave Fen a mischievous nudge. “But y’know, they’ll be plenty more wilds around here. Guess I should teach you how to fight, unless ya want that to happen again, eh?”

Fen looked at him doubtfully; Ryu definitely wouldn’t be dropping this. The concept of Pokémon attacking each other was nothing new to him, but now he was one himself, and there was one right next to him that could talk, he needed some reassurance.

“If I really have to, Ryu,” he said, “then there’s a few questions I want to ask…”


	2. Instinct

Ryu had a definite swagger now. Fen sensed the Riolu was enjoying his own naivety greatly, which he didn’t feel too happy about.

“Alright,” Ryu said, smiling. “What d’you wanna know?”

“Well,” Fen began carefully, “why can we expect Pokémon to attack just upon seeing us? I mean, we didn’t do anything wrong to the Pidgey, did we? And why didn’t Tali attack us when we met her? And… what’s the relationship between us and the ‘wilds’ you mentioned? We’re not wilds, are we?”

“No,” Ryu said immediately. He scratched behind an ear. “That’s a lot of questions.”

 _It’s not easy when your mind is a blank canvass!_ Fen wanted to snap at him, but he kept his irritation internal. “Should I go slower, or…?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Ryu laughed. “I think I can explain.

“So, wilds. When Pokémon are hatched, some are raised by their parents, siblings, y’know, supposedly the ‘right way’. But others might get abandoned pretty quickly after birth, or just grow up in very challenging circumstances.”

Fen nodded him on.

“If a Pokémon doesn’t have a stable upbringing, it’s difficult to stop them becoming pretty feral in general life. Those are wilds. They can’t communicate very well and are very territorial – we all are to some degree, but the more rational ‘mon like you and me probably won’t react strongly to someone invading our personal space. A wild would want to fight you if you did.” He frowned. “Although you might still be attacked by a perfectly intelligent ‘mon if you come into their territory. Not only if they’re angry with you, but because pretty much all ‘mon want to fight and grow stronger through that, so they can win more battles. Everyone wants to be able to utilise more powerful attacks, evolve, etcetera, y’know?”

 _Evolve?_ That thought hadn’t even occurred to Fen. But he knew Chimchar had at least one evolution, maybe two. His mind was flooded with even more questions. _What would it feel like to evolve? To have your whole body change shape in a flash…? Would your thoughts, attitudes, feelings change as well?_ He couldn’t imagine it.

“Are you trying to evolve then?” he asked.

Ryu huffed. “I’d love to be a Lucario, but I ain’t got a clue how to do it. Might be through fighting, might be something completely different. I asked my parents countless times to tell me how, but they just kept on repeating the same BS, like ‘be friendly with everyone’, and ‘always do your best’, which doesn’t help at all.” He spat at the ground in disgust. “So it's still a mystery to me.”

Fen only vaguely remembered the names of Ryu’s species, so couldn’t help him with that problem. _Ryu sounded pretty down on his parents. Is it just because of his frustration with evolution, or something else?_ He decided not to probe further. _I’ve only known him a few hours, after all…_

“So, Tali didn’t attack us because she’s not a wild?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. One other question on wilds… how ‘feral’ are we talking? I mean, do they, uh… eat other Pokémon, like if they defeat them in battle?”

Ryu gave him a serious glance. “Some ‘mon eat others, but I don’t know of any around here. It depends on the species too: I know mine wouldn’t be hunted, and I doubt yours would either. Besides, you wouldn’t usually fight to the point of passing out. Even wilds aren’t _that_ stupid.”

Fen felt a little reassured.

They walked on for a while. The path was straight and flat, and the only challenges were from Pokémon themselves; bug-types like Wurmple and Caterpie, which Fen recognised. To his relief, Ryu took them on alone and swatted away most of the challenges in one swipe of a fist, as if impatient. Yet, as Fen watched him fight, an tingling sensation rose from his stomach into his limbs, making them spark with energy. He already hated these feelings. _The safest thing is to avoid fights, and that’s what I’m going to do! If my body has to then rewire itself, so be it._

The sun was beginning to fade when a Shroomish suddenly jumped out from some tall grass and made a strangled cry at them. Fen looked to Ryu as he had done repeatedly, but got a smirk in return.

“Y’know, I’ve gotten tired of fighting for one day.” Ryu shook his arm wearily as if to demonstrate. “This is a Grass, Fen, so it should be easy for you to handle. Just hit it with some fire attack and you should be good.”

“Ryu,” Fen muttered, “I told you I can’t fight–”

“And _I_ told you that you’re wrong.” Ryu grabbed his arm and shoved him forwards to face the Shroomish. “You’ll know what to do.”

Fen looked pleadingly behind him, but Ryu was avoiding his eyes. _Fine._ He turned to the Shroomish. _Forget about using fire: how do I attack in the first place? What would a Chimchar do... I have these claws, so I guess I should try hitting it with them? Ugh, I don’t want to do this..._

He didn’t expect the yellow lump opposite to have any speed at all, so when it leapt out at him he was caught off-guard. He only managed to turn a shoulder into the attack, which was still strong enough to knock him off his feet.

As he got back up, the tingling he felt was becoming unbearable. But he refused to accept them. _I don’t want these feelings, I’m not feral! I’m not even a Pokémon!_

He felt something on his skin, and spun back to the Shroomish. A powder was rising from the spores on its back, streaming straight towards him. They prickled upon impact, so he raised an arm to brush them off… only he couldn’t. His body was completely frozen. The Shroomish was free to run and tackle him again, and this time he was thrown through the air, landing heavily in a flooded bit of path.

The water stung; his limbs ached. He was furious at Ryu for making him fight, and at the Shroomish for fighting someone so unwilling. It was too much. When he got up this time, something in his brain clicked. He dropped onto all-fours, cried an _“AIIIEEE”_ sound, and sprinted towards the Shroomish. Claws unsheathed, he slashed at it.

The first scratch connected, but it ducked under the second and skittered backwards. Fen saw the spores on its back changing colour and knew he had to act fast. Running at it again, he felt something rise in his throat, something… hot? Without time to hesitate he opened his mouth, and instead of a sound there came a burst of flames, hitting the Shroomish head on.

His surprise meant the stream only lasted a second, but it was powerful enough to leave the front of the Shroomish’s body charred. It lay down meekly, seemingly in surrender, then scuttled away as fast as it could manage. Fen sat down heavily on the ground. His heart was pumping wildly.

 _What just happened… that was still me._ I _was aware of attacking the Shroomish, then realising that it was about to do something dangerous. But…_ He put a hand up to his mouth; still warm. _I just breathed fire! And I feel so energised, like I could fight all over again… is that a good thing?_

Ryu offered him an arm up, which he accepted. The Riolu was beaming.

“What was that?” he mocked. “‘I don’t know how to fight’, you say?”

Fen sighed. “I guess you were right. Though I only remembered about halfway through.”

Ryu chuckled. “That paralysis shook you up a bit, huh?”

 _Paralysis…? Oh, that’s what it’s called._ “Given I can’t remember getting paralysed before, it certainly did.”

Ryu whistled. “You’ve not experienced much, then. Getting poisoned is _much_ worse. And imagine getting frozen! Mad that that’s even possible, right? Luckily, it probably _is_ impossible for you, with ya tail and all. Would just thaw you out.”

 _When you put it like that,_ Fen thought, _this tail is pretty useful. Hey, it’s like having a box of permanently lit matches on you all the time. In fact, I wonder…_

“Ryu, are you planning to stop soon?” He looked up at the sky, which was turning grey. _I assume neither of us can see in the dark..._

“Yeah, just need to get some food and find a place to sleep. Why?”

“Well, my tail could light us a fire, right? I’m just thinking of ways it could be useful.”

Ryu chuckled again. “ _Or,_ you could just breathe some out of your mouth, but... whatever ya prefer.” He looked around, then pointed to the distance. “Looks like there’s some sort of cave over there. That’ll be warmer than out here.”

Fen nodded his approval. Anywhere that wasn’t exposed to the rain would do.

“In the meantime,” Ryu added with a smirk, “you can help me look for more berries!”

 

Fen watched in awe as Ryu went up to the nearest huge tree, and jumped at least his own height up to a distant branch. Then he did it again, disappearing completely from view.

“Hey, don’t just watch me!” Ryu said, just loud enough to hear. “You can climb trees too, right?”

 _Can I?_ Fen looked doubtfully at himself. He had no idea how adept his body was. _I guess I’ll have to fight out..._

He walked up to the tree next to Ryu’s. They all looked the same, so he guessed it was a game of lottery in finding berries. He could see a branch about three feet above him, but he was pessimistic about his chances of landing that jump. As it happened, he _underestimated_ his ability, and he yelped as his legs flew over the target. He grabbed a different branch in panic, and was about to lower himself when something made him pause.

 _This feels... incredibly natural_. He got his legs over the branch, then jumped up to meet another one higher up. It was easy, like he’d been climbing trees all his life.

He reached for another branch when he felt his head hit against something solid. He looked up; it was a spherical red fruit. It looked like an apple but seemed far too big to be one…

He sighed. _Of course it’s too big_. _I’m too small!_

“Ryu, do apples grow around here?” he called out. “I think I found some.”

He heard a _thud,_ then faint pawsteps. “They do, but could you keep it down?” Ryu hissed. “It’s not bedtime for everyone at night, you know...”

Noted, Fen picked the two biggest apples he could see, then held one in his mouth and the other in his hand as he managed the descent. He eventually jumped about four feet from the ground.

Ryu, leaning on the tree, tutted disapprovingly. “You could’ve jumped from right up there and you’d have been fine,” he said, putting the other apple in his bag. He smiled. “Y’know, I’ve never met anyone who acts like you.”

Fen sighed again. “Is that really surprising, given what I told you?”

“No, I… I don’t mean it _just_ in you not having any memories. I thought you’d still know roughly what your own body is capable of, but… well, you have no idea! You didn’t know how big a fall you can take, didn’t know how to breathe fire, didn’t even know how to _fight…_ It’s like you’re used to being something else entirely, something… not like a Chimchar. Y’get what I’m saying?”

Fen was both surprised and dismayed by how astute Ryu had been underneath his joking. He didn’t see any point in denying the truth. He thought carefully about his next words, then decided, what did it matter how he said it?

“You’re right, Ryu. One of the few things I’m certain of is that I’m not, or I wasn’t, a Chimchar before I lost my memory.” He took another deep breath. “I was... Wait, do you actually _know_ what humans are?”

Ryu turned to him again and his eyes lit up. “I knew it!” he cried, punching the air in celebration. “You’re not a Chimchar after all, that’s so crazy! I caught you by surprise with my guessing, huh? Hahaha!” He jumped in the air a couple more times, unable to contain himself.

Fen didn’t quite share the joy at revealing his secret. They were back at the cave now, and the two of them sat down, leaning against the narrow walls on opposite sides. Ryu took of his bag and carefully put it down next to him. In the absence of light, Fen’s tail provided the illumination.

He repeated the question. “Do you know what humans are? They don’t live here, right?”

Ryu’s smile faded slightly as he considered the question. “I’ve heard of them in stories,” he said, “but I’ve never seen one, no. They supposedly live in this world, far away from here, I think. To be honest, I hardly know anything about them. What are they like? You must know, yeah?” He leaned forward eagerly, like a child waiting for a story.

“Ryu, I don’t think you get it,” Fen said. “I’m not some kind of novelty. I woke up this morning, in this body, with no idea of how I got here, no memories of my past life... all I know is my name and that I _was_ a human. This whole day has been terrifying for me.”

Ryu nodded exuberantly; Fen wasn’t sure if he was listening. “Okay,” he said. “But you still remember what humans were like, yeah? Come on, it’s not like I’m gonna get the opportunity to actually _talk_ to one very often! So–”

“THIS ISN’T _FUNNY!”_ Without thinking, Fen lashed out at him with a claw in his anger. It caught Ryu on the ear as he ducked out the way. Something in his eyes lit up, a look that made Fen instantly regret what he’d done.

Before he could react, Ryu jumped up and slapped Fen across the face, though _slapped_ seemed too light a word for how it felt. In the tiny cave, it was enough to send him slamming into the wall opposite.

Fen yelped, more in shock than in pain, though both were plentiful. He put one hand to his cheek, which felt bruised. He glanced back at Ryu, whose own gaze dropped the moment their eyes met.

A few seconds passed, then Ryu looked at him again and spoke shakily.

“I’m... gonna head out for a bit. Look after the bag, alright?” Without pause, he hightailed it out of the cave and into the night.

In the silence that followed, Fen heard his shallow breathing amplified by the cave’s echo. He was stunned. He tried to tell his shaking limbs that it was okay, that there wasn’t any danger.

 _Ryu’s on my side._ _He defended me earlier, he gave me food, he let me tag along with him… I just had no idea he could get so aggressive so easily. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry… No, he should’ve just listened to_ me _! Oh, I guess we were both at fault…_

Fen was incredibly glad that Ryu had left the bag, else he would’ve worried that the Riolu had left him for good. Now he was a little calmer, he took some time to think.

 _Was it really just this morning that I woke up by that river?_ He felt like he could’ve lived a whole week in terms of how much had occurred. Him and Ryu had been moving for almost the whole day, yet only now was he starting to feel a sleepy sort of tiredness, and not merely short-term fatigue. All the injuries he’d sustained on the journey had healed themselves far quicker than he could’ve imagined. Pokémon seemed to possess a stamina and durability that would be impossible in humans. And the fact that _he_ could be living this life now… he couldn’t make sense of it.

This experience _was_ real. He had no doubt about that. Somehow, he'd ended up in this body, in this faraway place, and he didn't seem to be getting much help in finding his way around. One thing he knew for sure what that he had to stay with Ryu, despite what had just happened. This Chimchar body clearly had some battling capabilities, which he’d probably underestimated, but he didn’t want to fight anyway, and he had no sense of direction in this forest either. Ryu seemed shaky on the latter too, but he could certainly do the former.

He decided to plan what to do upon reaching the town Ryu was looking for. His top priority was absolutely to find out who he was, how he got here, and what was his purpose for being here. But the way to go about that was again a mystery. He’d have to ask Ryu for help.

Distracting himself from his worries seemed an acceptable strategy for now, so he picked up the bag Ryu had been very carefully guarding almost all day. He weighed it up in his hands; it felt very sturdy, so he supposed it was made from a type of leather. The bag was plainly coloured in a dark brown, though on the front there was two diagonal slashes worn into the fabric. Some kind of insignia? It looked too precise to be from a battle.

He paused to consider whether to look inside, then decided it would probably be fine. Knowing their available resources could only be a good thing.

He pulled at the string holding it shut and peered inside. There was the remaining apple from the tree, a few fresh cheri berries that Ryu must’ve picked earlier, the water flask they’d been sharing during the day, a pinkish berry he didn’t recognise, and… that was it?

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the fact that Ryu was travelling, while having only a rough idea of where he was going, suggested that the bag should be more useful than just carrying food and water. _Maybe that’s all Pokémon need. After all, we’re about to sleep in a tiny cave that only slightly shields us from the elements. This weather can’t be very warm, but I don’t feel cold, despite having no clothing._

He shook his head in disgust. _What am I doing, thinking about clothes… I’m a Pokémon!_

Another thing that confused him about Ryu was his age. He was clearly well versed in battling, despite his size. Yet his behaviour suggested he was of similar maturity to a teenager, with his rapid changes in mood and fury at getting attacked. Could a teenager be as strong as Ryu had been in battle?

 _Maybe I’m overthinking this,_ Fen sighed. _Pokémon and humans are totally different species. Who knows if “teenagers” are even a thing to them?_

Ryu wordlessly announced his return by chucking a sizeable pile of wood on the cave floor. Fen hurriedly did up the bag and put it back where Ryu was sitting.

“Should be enough wood,” Ryu smiled warmly, apparently not minding Fen’s nosiness. He seemed to have calmed down, which calmed Fen, too. He gestured to the pile. “Whenever you're ready.”

Fen nodded; not feeling confident in his fire-breathing, he took his tail stump in one hand and twisted himself awkwardly to lower it onto the wood. He avoided looking at Ryu for the smirk he thought he was certain to see.

Still, it didn’t take long to get the fire to spread. He didn't seem to notice heat in the same way he remembered – while he could detect an increase in the cave's temperature, it didn't make him feel "warmer". Plus, he could run his hands through the fire and not be harmed at all.

He sat against the wall, satisfied with his work, and Ryu did the same on the opposite side.

“Ay, Fen,” Ryu said hesitantly. “Sorry to slap you like that. I can, uh… lose my cool sometimes, if someone attacks me. I didn’t hit you too hard, right?”

Until then, for a blissful moment, Fen had forgotten about their fight. “Um.. no,” he said. “I shouldn’t have lashed out in the first place. But, Ryu…”

At his pause, Ryu looked up. “Huh?”

Similar to when Fen had tried explaining his memory loss, words seemed extremely difficult to come by. “Just… keep in mind what I said before that happened. There’s so much that I don’t know, don’t understand, and on top of that I have to learn all these _new_ things like, how to fight, and… how to be a Pokémon, I guess. ” He shrugged. “It’s hard.”

Ryu nodded. “I get it. You’re doing alright, ‘mon.”

Those four words meant more to Fen than they should have.

As they were eating, Ryu went on. “I noticed that the trees in here were thinning a little towards the end of the day. Hopefully that means we’re nearly at the edge of the forest. I’m pretty sure of it.”

Fen looked at him sceptically. “ _How_ sure?”

Ryu chuckled. “No matter what I say, you’re gonna _have_ to trust me… but I’ve been into forests like this one before. I know how they behave.”

“Alright,” Fen said tiredly. He yawned again. _My body’s telling me to sleep, and from what I’ve learned so far, I should probably listen to it…_

“I, uh, think I’m gonna call it a day here,” he said.

“Fine with me,” Ryu said. “The fire should go out at some point in the night. You’ll probably wake up at the same time as me, but we’ll head out as soon as it gets light anyway. If it’s not _raining_ , of course.”

 _Thanks for reminding me,_ Fen sighed. He tried to move himself into a sleeping position, and another problem hit him. _I have no idea how Chimchars sleep._

He started on his back, but found his tail was getting pushed into the ground below the rest of his body. Not very comfortable. He tried his front, remembering how he had collapsed earlier, and while this removed the tail problem his head was now in direct contact with the dusty cave floor. Finally he lay on his side, but due to the tininess of his body compared to his head, it was more like his head sitting sideways with the rest of him in an awkward half-turn. _Good enough,_ he thought.

Lying with his back to the wall, he opened his eyes and caught Ryu looking amused at his struggles. “Night,” Ryu muttered, grinning. In one fluid movement, the ‘mon curled up into a small, cosy-looking ball, then closed his eyes.

 

_….!_

As he had been about to drift off, Fen re-woke with a start. Breathing rapidly, he looked around; he was still in the cave and the fire was still burning, though more dimly. Some time had passed, but it certainly wasn’t morning. The sky was as dark as before. Ryu looked soundly asleep.

 _Why do I feel so tense? So anxious?_ He tried to calm down and, to his surprise, succeeded almost instantly. His feeling of fear subsided just as suddenly as it had appeared.

_That’s weird. Maybe I just heard something… but then, why didn’t my ears prick up? This feeling definitely came from within me. How could that be, though? I was barely awake–_

“OWEHH!”

He paused. There was _definitely_ a sound now. A ruffling nearby revealed Ryu’s red eyes open, alert like he’d never been sleeping.

“You heard that too?” Ryu whispered.

Fen discarded his previous train of thought and nodded. “D’you know what it was?”

Ryu shook his head. “It’s a Pokémon, I’m pretty certain, but not a cry I’ve heard before. Hard to judge from echoes alone.”

Just then, they heard its echo again, this time twice as loud. “OWWEEHHHH!!!”

Before the cry had even finished, Ryu wordlessly slung his bag on his shoulders and scurried outside. Fen ignored his better judgement to stay in the safety of the cave, and followed him. _Whatever Pokémon it is, it didn’t sound like a battle cry... more like it’s in pain._

Ryu turned his head this way and that, trying to pick up the cry’s source. He suddenly shot off to the right, which headed up a steep incline.

Fen had his tail to thank for increasing the meagre amount of light he had to see ahead. Ryu was still in his sights, but only just. How the Riolu could weave his way through trees and paths in the darkness was a mystery.

Eventually, Ryu skidded to a halt along the hill, and peered over at what lay below. He quickly got down on his stomach and gestured for Fen to do the same. Looking over the edge, Fen saw a sort of crater about 20 feet deep. At the bottom, in the centre, there was a figure who looked to be suffering some kind of anguish, though Fen couldn’t see anything causing it. It walked on four legs, and was entirely covered in white fur, save for its head, its claws, a scythe-like tail and an equally sharp horn on top of its head.

A name suddenly flashed into his mind, like it had done when he met Ryu. _Absol._

Looking around from their viewing position, Fen noted a few other Pokémon that were similarly crouched around the crater. They were curious too.

The Absol flicked its head up suddenly. “Cover your ears!” Ryu hissed. Fen didn’t argue.

“ _OWWWEEEEHHHHHH!!!!!!”_

Fen cringed as the ear-splitting sound vibrated the very earth around them. Nearby tree branches shook with the impact. He heard a few squawks from birds caught in the blast.

The sound slowly died out, and the watching Pokémon lifted their heads again to the white figure. It paused for a moment, then turned and galloped swiftly out of the crater, away from where Fen and Ryu were lying. Fen turned to the Riolu, who was shivering either through the cold or with fear. Maybe both. “Are we alright?” Fen asked.

Ryu’s eyes were still fixated on the crater, despite the lack of anything now there. He finally pulled himself away from it. “Let’s get back to the cave,” he whispered. “If that thing notices us, it’ll probably attack. And I couldn’t see where it’s headed now.”

Mercifully, the fire in the cave emitted a very faint glow, making it visible from high on the hill. They both bundled inside, Fen making sure to keep a distance from the fire so he didn’t accidently relight it.

“I’ve never seen a Pokémon like that before,” Ryu muttered. “Lucky it didn’t blow our ears off.”

“Oh!” Fen exclaimed, surprised at Ryu’s lack of knowledge. “I know what it is.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah, I… think so.” He frowned, starting to doubt his own memory, but went on anyway. “It’s called an Absol. I can remember a few things about them, like how they’re exceptionally rare – obviously, since you hadn’t seen one before and I didn’t recognise its cry, either. They’re said to be able to predict when a natural disaster is going to occur, which is why they show up, to warn other Pokémon around. I don’t know how far in advance they can predict, so the disaster might be in a few days or it might be a month from now. The magnitude of its cry, though... like you said, my ears are still ringing.”

“So you think something big is coming? What kind of disaster could it be?”

Fen had to confess he didn’t know on both counts – natural disasters could encompass a whole range of events. “But for an Absol to turn up at all, I think that’s pretty serious.”

Then a thought occurred to him. “I wonder, that storm we had yesterday, or earlier today. That was pretty heavy right? Trees got knocked down and all. Maybe the Absol could be warning us about that?”

Ryu looked at him quizzically. Then Fen realised something else.

“But that’s stupid, because it would be warning us about an event that’s already happened. Hmm… I’m really in the dark.”

Ryu yawned. “That’s night-time for ya. Can we get some sleep now?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Look, I just wanna get out of this forest, and if we’re well rested we’ll have the best chance of doing it tomorrow. We can’t do anything about this Absol stuff, unless I’m wrong.”

Fen was a little confused at his impatience to escape, but ignored it. “I won’t object to more sleep. But, uh, Ryu?”

“Mm?”

“I…” Fen intended to mention the emotions he’d felt just before hearing the Absol’s cry. He struggled to find the words to explain, though. It felt like an increasingly minor event the more he tried.

“Oh… forget it. Goodnight, again.”

Ryu smiled. “Hopefully we’ll wake up in the morning this time.”


	3. An Unusual Lodge

Ryu was the first to wake in the morning, and had a quick glance around their cave. His bag was still next to him, and a shake confirmed that nothing had been taken. The fire from last night had stopped smoking. Fen's tail fire was out, too. Ryu panicked briefly, thinking that it would only go out if he was dead. Then he realised that it was out when he’d been under the shelter, too, so that couldn't be right. Maybe it was out while he slept?

He shook his head in disbelief. _Strange 'mon._

He took out a few cheri berries for breakfast and turned back towards Fen. His main feeling about him was one of bemusement. How did a Chimchar get here, and with no memories of its life beforehand? How could there actually be a human inside there? _Well, there isn't_ actually _a human in there. A human mind, maybe, whatever that means. But something that isn't_ normal _._

Yet despite Fen's quirky behaviour, he had enjoyed his company on the previous day. Their walking speed had been slower than he wanted, but he could live with that. And he still had no idea what humans were like. From the way Fen had been acting, they seemed quite apart from Pokémon. Hopefully he would talk more about it today, though Ryu had doubts that Fen fully trusted him, especially since last night.

He guessed that Fen might want some information about him in return, and frowned as he thought about how to present his story. Some bending of the truth would certainly be needed – but then, what was the point in worrying about this now? The aim for today was reaching Sanguin Town, and that required his focus.

His ears picked up a birdsong. _Sounds like Spearow. So it must be early morning. Time to get moving._

Shaking his water flask confirmed that he'd need to refill it before heading down the path. He considered venturing out alone. It would hardly take a fraction out of the morning, but if Fen woke before he returned, he might think Ryu had abandoned him. For all his jokiness towards Fen yesterday, Ryu recognised how vulnerable the ‘mon was. _And he should be up by now anyway…_

Ryu shook him a little forcefully and Fen immediately recoiled, his tail flame reigniting to confirm Ryu's suspicions. His eyes flicked around, and seeing his attacker, just groaned in response.

Ryu laughed and chucked a couple of berries in his direction. "Come on, we're getting water," he said.

Fen slowly got to his feet and shook himself, saying nothing.

"...You alright?" Ryu asked semi-seriously.

Fen looked at him vaguely. "Not really," he said. "But we have to get moving, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Ryu said. "Come on 'mon, we're gonna reach Sanguin Town today! Aren't you excited?"

Fen sighed heavily. "Sure.”

 

Ryu explained to Fen that the only water source he knew of in the forest came from a river running all the way through it.

"Before the storm yesterday, it was just north from this main path. Oh wait, that's where you woke up, right? So we should be able to find it pretty quickly if we head that way. I don't wanna stick around long though, since if this is the only place to find water, they'll be tons of 'mon getting a drink like us. We should be all right, but I don’t wanna get into many fights today."

Leaving the path took them into long grass, which was practically dry today, owing to the heat since yesterday’s storm. Fen still had to push his way through to move anywhere.

It took about 15 minutes for the grass to clear, and there in front of them lay the same river that Fen had woken up at. It stretched endlessly in both directions, like Ryu had said, until distant trees on the bank enclosed it. Around the water's edge were a host of different Pokémon; Nincada, Zigzagoon, Pikachu, and others that he couldn’t bring a name to.

Ryu headed straight to the stream and unscrewed his flask top. "D'you know how clean this water is?" Fen asked. "I know there's a lot of Pokémon drinking from it, but…"

Ryu nodded assuredly, dunking the flask straight in. "Yeah. Like you say, everyone else is doing okay on it. May not be the most fresh, polished stuff you'll see, but you won't pass out from it or anything…" He smiled cheekily at the thought.

They both took a long drink from the flask before Ryu refilled it again. As they started heading back to the path, they heard a faint buzzing from the trees. Ryu, from his previously relaxed posture, straightened up and scanned around. "Something's ahead," he muttered, signalling Fen to stop walking. "In fact, more than one 'mon. Get ready."

The buzzing got louder, and seconds later a Ninjask burst out of the trees to hover in front of them. Below it were four Nincada in formation, looking ready to fight.

"Damn," Ryu muttered. "Okay, we've got a few 'mon to deal with, but it should be all right."

"What… are they going to fight us together?" Fen said, anxiety rising.

"Yeah," Ryu said, keeping his eyes on the enemies in front of them. "We took their drinking spot, I'm guessing. It's fine though. I'll take down the Ninjask. Try and keep the Bugs occupied, alright?"

"But… there's four of them! Come on, I don't want to do this…"

"Well, you _are_ doing this, whether you like it or not. Besides, Nincada ain't gonna hurt you! You've got this!"

Fen tried to get in a battle mindset as the Nincada gathered in a circle around them, making a little hissing sound as they did. The Ninjask, having stayed still to face down its opponents, now started buzzing its wings. Ryu's eyes darted around, as if looking for a cue. "Get ready," he muttered.

The Ninjask set its wings in front of its body and whisked together a mini-tornado of wind, which it flicked away into Ryu's direction. There was no way Ryu could move fast enough – instead he stood in a braced position. Fen watched in horror as the gust engulfed him, though Ryu wasn't swayed from his stance in the centre of it.

Just then Fen sensed a movement to his right, and instinctively jumped forwards to dodge as a Nincada lashed out with one of its front legs. He spun around to face it, and barely thinking, lunged with a scratch of his own. The Bug was too slow to dodge, sent skidding backwards by the impact. Another one hurtled towards him similarly to the first, and without time to think of something clever, Fen simply crashed into it shoulder-first, to protect his face. The collision sent both of them sprawling, though Fen managed to haul himself back up. Both Nincada looked out of it.

Despite what Ryu had said, he was surprised at how easily they'd gone down. Maybe he could do this…?

He sneaked a glance at Ryu's fight, and saw that the gust was starting to clear around him. Inside, Ryu's body was glowing white, though he looked in considerable pain. Fen watched in awe as, when the gust had fully disappeared, Ryu threw himself into the Ninjask, transferring the white energy into it. The Ninjask hissed with pain and crashed into the trees behind.

Before Fen could congratulate Ryu, he was jolted by another Nincada scratch hitting the side of his face. He lashed out in its general direction and connected with a body, but its shell felt more robust than the previous two. He was confused. _It hardened its shell? That means my scratches won't do a thing..._

Then a better idea crossed his mind. Turning left, he saw the two remaining Nincada were huddled together. It was a long shot, but if he got it right they would go down easily.

It was easier to draw on the hot air now he’d felt it. He opened his mouth and sent a fireball into the Nincada… or he tried to. The flame was weak and didn't even reach them before it evaporated. Panicking, Fen got ready to defend, but a second later the Nincada were scythed down by a flash of blue and black.

The enemies dealt with, Ryu skidded to a halt. To Fen's surprise, he sat down heavily and started panting in exhaustion.

"Whoa, you alright man?" Fen dashed over to him.

Ryu looked at him funny for a second then shook his head, but he didn't seem particularly injured.

"I really messed up," he said. "I was already preparing to counter the Ninjask's attack, but I forgot that it might use a flying-based move. Ugh!" He pounded the ground in frustration.

"But… you still won?"

Ryu looked at him cynically. "But I _nearly lost_ , because of my own stupidity. If its attack had been slightly more powerful, I wouldn't have been able to endure it all and then retaliate, because I'm weak to Flying attacks. You can't afford to make mistakes like that!"

"Yeah, but…" Fen paused to try and explain. _I didn't think I'd be handing out many life lessons as a Chimchar, but whatever…_ "We all make mistakes sometimes, you just have to learn from them. Now you know that when you face another Ninjask, you should maybe not use a… what was that attack you did, by the way? It looked amazing."

A slight smile crept across Ryu's face. He got to his feet again.

"We call it 'counter'. You basically take the power of an opponent's attack, endure it, then release it back on them, combining it with your own attack." Seeing Fen's eyes light up, he moved to play it down. "It's not as good as you think. Doesn't work for non-physical attacks – something like your ember, say. And if you can't endure the attack in the first place it's pretty useless." He sighed. "Anyway, you were doing alright against the Bugs? Managed to defeat two of them?"

"Mm," Fen hummed. "I'm getting better at this stuff, I think. Though I'd prefer to not have to do it at all…"

Ryu sighed again. "You’re strange, ‘mon."

 

Their chatter died down as the path became rockier and steeper. Even though Fen was better coordinated than yesterday, he struggled to keep up with Ryu. Fortunately, Ryu was content to walk at a slower pace when he asked.

They encountered no wilds at all, and even the constant bird calls Fen had gotten used to in the forest died down. He sensed that travelling Pokémon were the only ones that crossed this rough terrain.

It was late afternoon by the time that Ryu finally spotted a clearing ahead of them.

"Finally," he muttered. "I can't wait to see the back of this waste of space."

The repetitiveness and boredom of the day's walking had worn Fen down too, and he struggled to get pumped up about the prospect of leaving. Plus, leaving the forest felt like a giant step into the unknown. He felt anxious thinking about what he would do upon reaching Sanguin Town.

At last they reached the top of the hill, and stepped out from the trees into the unshielded sky. It turned out it wasn't merely a hill, but a _mountain_ that they had been climbing for so long. The rocky path suddenly made sense.

Fen let out an involuntary gasp at the surroundings. Though this was where the forest ended, the mountain continued above them. Varying size rocks were scattered all around the huge, flat expanse they walked on.

Looking around, Fen got an overwhelming sensation of belonging. _Is this… where Chimchar live normally? That's why I feel so euphoric?_ He felt a little unnerved that his instincts could impact his emotions so much; but at the same time, this felt so great that he hardly minded.

In his excitement, he wanted to find the uppermost peak of the mountain. To his right was a steep cliff face, and he thought back to when he climbed the tree in Cheri Forest. They didn't look so different…surely scaling it wouldn't be that much of a challenge?

He tentatively looked for hand and footholds as a starting point. Finding some, he began climbing. It wasn't like the climbing he knew; this felt as easy as walking on flats. He stopped looking for footholds and just let his body take care of the ascent, and in no time had scaled the 20 or so feet to the top.

The way they had come out showed only forestry, and beyond that were grassy plains and vast mountains. Almost everything he could see was natural, untampered with. It was an incredible sight. There were a few places dotted around that looked to be towns or villages, but they were too high up to make out many details. He walked back to the edge of cliff he'd climbed and sat down to take in the view some more. As he did, he felt a familiar arm thump his shoulder.

"You like this place as well, huh?" Ryu smiled. He took a seat beside Fen. "Our line is mountain-dwelling too, so I can climb this stuff pretty easily like you. Always enjoy views like this."

The sunset had given the world a distinctly yellow-orange hue, something that seemed to resonate with Fen for a reason he couldn't figure out. As much as he just wanted to bathe in this view, he realised that with them both stationary for once, this was a perfect time to ask Ryu what had been bothering him.

"Could... I ask you something?" he ventured.

Ryu smiled slyly, as if he knew the question was coming. "Yeah... but only if you can answer one for me first."

"Which is...?"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "What do _you_ think, Fen? I asked you what humans were like, didn't I? D'you think you could maybe give me an answer now?" His tone was light-hearted, but his words suggested he was a little frustrated with Fen's secrecy. "I'll tell you anything you want from me afterwards," he added.

Fen gave a sigh of resignation. _How do I describe this…?_

"Do you know what Machoke look like?" he asked.

Ryu nodded. "Those big, muscular 'mon." He flexed his arms in a mock impression.

"Right. Humans are a bit like those, except, well, they're a bit taller at adult size, they don’t have tails, they all wear things to cover themselves unlike most Pokémon…". Describing a human to someone who had no concept of one suddenly felt very difficult. "Agh, forget it. The main thing is, they're not like Pokémon at all. They don't fight each other to get stronger, they can't breathe fire or summon electricity or anything like that, they can't evolve... well, they get bigger as they get older, but they stay the same shape all their lives. And they're certainly not durable like Pokémon are."

"No evolution? No fighting?" Ryu frowned. "They sound pretty boring to me. What _can_ they do?"

The cynicism in his question didn't really shock Fen. With everything he'd experienced so far, he could tell that Pokémon life was far more dangerous, active and, admittedly, e _xciting_ than that of any regular human.

"Well, humans have invented loads of amazing things, like: being able to harness electricity to power other tools; having vehicles that can travel several times faster than they can, without running out of power, uh…" He tried to remember what else. "Look, the place I lived, where humans were, it looked very different to this. But I can't really remember the details…"

Ryu gave a sigh of disappointment. "You haven't remembered anything new since yesterday?"

"Yeah." Fen sighed in equal measure.

They sat in silence for a while. Ryu drummed something on the rocks. "So you wanted to ask me something?"

Fen thought carefully. "The first thing would be, well, what are you doing here, Ryu? Why are you travelling?"

Ryu nodded at once. "Alright. Until a few days ago, I lived in Mt Aura with my family – Mum, Dad, and a few brothers and sisters. Growing up there was fine, in fact it's a really cool place, but it could get pretty lonely. There weren't many places around that were easily reachable, and not many other Pokémon could live there due to the mountains, so I ended up fighting my siblings quite a lot. Since I was the oldest though, I normally beat them all without much trouble.

"Now for as long I can remember, I've had hopes of being one of the strongest Pokémon around. That's what a lot of 'mon strive towards, right? Well, maybe you don't know, but they do. Unfortunately, my parents wanted me to just stay on the mountain, help with bringing up the family, foraging for food, stuff like that, which wouldn't exactly make me much stronger. So one day, I decided... I was going to leave, on my own. I wasn't sure what the end goal would be, or where it would take me, I just wanted to, say, see the world a bit, y'know? Call it a sort of pilgrimage." He chuckled.

"You left just like that?" Fen asked. "Did you tell your family or anything?

"Oh, sure, sure," Ryu waved in dismissal. "I told my parents about my intentions, and they weren't too agreeable, as you would expect, but... I eventually convinced them. They gave me some food and water to help out, and the bag itself of course. This would be the… fifth day since I left there. The last three of which were spent in that lousy forest." He hesitated in anticipation of another question. When none was coming, he spoke again.

"What d'you think you'll do now?"

"Well... I think trying to recover my memories, and finding out how and why I ended up here is my top priority," Fen said. _I really don't have any other priorities other than staying alive. Actually, make_ that _my top priority._ "I don't suppose you know anyone in this town that could help?"

Ryu shook his head sadly. "As I said, I know almost nothing of Sanguin. Sorry."

It was the answer Fen expected, but he still felt a wave of deflation upon hearing it. "I guess I'll just have to ask around.”

A moment later, Ryu got up and scanned the ground below them. He jumped down onto a rock a few feet below, then effortlessly stepped off this to land at their original platform. The drop was at least 20 feet, and Fen gawped as he fell, expecting to hear a snap or crunch of Ryu's bones surely being broken. But he landed almost silently, only grunting slightly and putting his arms down for stability.

Ryu looked back up at him and just waved him forward to follow.

 _When it comes to heights,_ Fen thought, _my human instincts are very much alive._ He landed on the same midway rock as Ryu, then faced down the rest of the drop. Holding his breath, he pushed himself off the ledge, then watched in terror as the mountain soared up to meet him. He tried to get into a good landing position, then squeezed his eyes shut. That was a stupid decision.

He misjudged his angles and landed on his front legs, which immediately buckled, leaving his face to slam into the hard rock. He yelped out of both pain and surprise.

He brushed some dust off his face, then paused. He wasn't surprised that his front legs, or arms, stung from the pressure his body put on them. But a little aching seemed to be the extent of his problems. There were certainly no brakes or fractures.

_Pokémon are crazy…if I landed like that in human body, my arms would be crushed beyond belief!_

Ryu was staring at him disbelievingly, looking like he was holding in laughter. "The uh, path we were on seems to lead down into the town," he said, leading them on.

Fen agreed, and they started the longer, less treacherous descent down the mountain.

 

The only way into Sanguin Town from their position was via a wooden bridge, running over a river a few feet below. They had to walk single file over it until a sole, tough-looking Mightyena awaited them on the other side.

It stepped out to indicate they stop. Then it ducked its head and sniffed around them for a few seconds, before grunting in recognition. "You're new here," he growled in a deep voice. Somehow, despite having never heard one speak his language before, it was exactly how Fen had expected a Mightyena to sound.

"Right, we're travellers," Ryu said. "Just come through the forest.” He jerked a finger behind him.

"Hm." The guard didn't seem too impressed. "Hand over the bag. Just for checks."

Ryu groaned inwardly, but knew better than to argue, undoing the bag and carefully placing it on the floor at the Mightyena's feet. The Mightyena stuck his head in the opening while one of his feet held the bag in place, continuing to sniff furiously. After a few seconds he pulled away, grunting in approval.

"You have any business here? Staying for any time?"

"No _business_ here, but we're looking to stay the night, at least," Ryu said. "Any spots you'd suggest?"

The Mightyena didn't appreciate his light-heartedness. "You don't have any money, unless I'm mistaken. So if you'd like somewhere to stay the night, you'd better come up with something once you're inside. But I have no problems letting you enter. Welcome to Sanguin Town." He stood aside and bowed his head in welcome.

As soon as they were out of the Mightyena's earshot, Fen turned to Ryu. "I had no idea Pokémon even had a currency!" he said, exasperated. "What are we supposed to do now? You knew this was coming, right? That we'd need money here?"

Ryu crossed his arms sulkily. "I thought it might be the case," he muttered. "A lot of 'mon don't live in residential towns like these, remember. Money wasn't an issue when I grew up, because all the food and water we needed grew around us. This is a different kettle of 'Karp."

When Fen thought about the prospect of storms like yesterday’s, his stomach turned in knots. "There's no way I'm sleeping outside," he said.

"And I'd be worried if you wanted to.” Ryu looked ahead. "Anyway, looks like we've arrived."

Sanguin Town looked to be a circular structure, with the path they walked leading into a town square of sorts. Most buildings looked like Pokémon houses to Fen. Their construction was rudimentary, built on solid wooden beams. More striking were the decorations adorning the houses; some seemed to be the home's inhabitants showing off, such as complex webs of leaves and vines that he assumed were the work of grass Pokémon. Another house seemed to be painted and designed in the shape of a Blastoise head, which, while he appreciated the uniqueness, could hardly be the most efficient construction. He noticed that the doors to most houses didn't have any sort of handles. _If these Pokémon don't have arms, I guess that’s more convenient..._

What amazed him most was that this town existed at all. Pokémon, and solely them, had been responsible for everything built here. _A Pokémon town!_

As per his request, Ryu asked around for anywhere a couple of travellers with no money could stay. They got directed to a long, blue and orange coloured building, which had the look of a hostel about it. A few Pokémon walked the dimly lit corridors inside.

Entering took them to a large hall, a few doorways leading off in front of them and a desk in the middle of the room, where a Pokémon was slumped over on a chair. On every wall, candles were lit inside holders shaped like a fire-lizard's mouth. Fen couldn’t help being impressed by the feat of architecture.

The Pokémon in front stirred at their appearance and sat up, shaking its head as if to wake itself. It was a strange looking thing, primarily orange coloured with some cream markings on its face and arms. On top of its head were what looked like fins standing upwards, and it had a long, yellow band stretched over its shoulders.

She looked up at the approaching Pokémon, and raised her energy. "Faoz's Lodgings," she announced. "Can I help?"

Ryu spoke nervously. "Hey Floatzel–"

"Please," the Floatzel cut him off. "Faoz. I _am_ Faoz."

Ryu nodded a few times and started again. "Faoz, we need somewhere to stay the night, and we got directed here."

Faoz looked at them seriously for a second, then waved Ryu on.

" _Buuuut_ we don't have any money at the minute, so I wondered…"

"If you could stay here for free?" Faoz sighed. "Yes, you're not alone in making such a request, and _yes,_ I am fine with letting you sleep here. _But–_ " she said before Ryu could get another eager word in, "this is no ordinary lodgings you've just walked into. See, to pay your ‘rent’, you have to complete a job for us tomorrow."

"Huh?" Ryu looked confused. "It's like a trade between us?"

Faoz hummed approvingly. "Could call it that, yes. If you do that for me then, if needed, you can spend tomorrow night here, and if you do another job the next day, you can stay another night, and… you see how it goes. Of course, if you're fortunate enough to earn some money from those jobs, you won't need to do any more of them, and you can pay us to stay here instead. Now, if you were observant, you would've noticed a bulletin board stuck on the wall behind me."

She gestured with a paw to where there was indeed such a board, a few scraps of paper still hanging off it. "Pokémon who need to deliver a letter, or need to transfer a shipment of items, or have lost something in a treacherous area; they post their problem up here, and you lucky souls get to take their missions on. That's what this place essentially is, in truth. You could call it… a guild, maybe? Heh, that's what everyone here calls it." She looked at them with interest.

"Not much of a lodging then," Fen said quietly.

Faoz laughed heartily. " _Technically_ it still is a lodging, just a very… unconventional one. Also, included in the deal here is breakfast and dinner every day for free, if that's a potential deal-broker. So… do you still want a bed here?"

Fen and Ryu exchanged a glance. "Sure!" Ryu said. "This type of thing sounds pretty fun, don't ya think Fen? Doing jobs, helping Pokémon out?"

Fen looked at him doubtfully and shrugged. He couldn't see the logic in being asked, unless Ryu thought he was a good actor. "If we've got a place to stay, I'll take it," he muttered.

Faoz chuckled. “Good to have you on board. Now, for what room you can sleep in…” She moved to get up, then paused. “Sorry, just out of interest, did you come from Cheri Forest?”

“Huh? Oh… we passed through it, but neither of us live there,” Ryu said.

Faoz nodded. “Quite the unusual storm there, from what I’ve heard. A few ‘mon were hurt; I hope you weren’t caught in the worst of it.”

“We managed to find shelter okay.”

“Ah, that’s good. Follow me.” Faoz led them down a leftward corridor, stopping at the nearest open doorway. She showed them inside. "Plenty of space in here. You'll get woken up in the morning, and I'll be around then to explain anything else, but it should be fairly simple."

"About that..." Ryu said. "Faoz, neither of us really have much sense of direction around Sanguin, or even Kyunn in general. I knew roughly how to get here, but of the island itself, I've hardly travelled anywhere. So…"

Faoz waved his question away, smiling. "Trust me, you're not the first. I’ll make sure you know where you're going."

Ryu thanked her again, and they ventured into the room, candles already put out for the night. With Fen's tail as their sole illumination, a quick glance around revealed more Pokémon than he would've imagined. They were all lying on what looked like flat bundles of hay.

He looked at Ryu apprehensively, to gauge his reaction more than anything. Ryu just shrugged wearily. He didn't seem to mind the small, crowded space. He took off his bag and threw it down on an empty hay patch, next to where an Ivysaur and Luxio were sleeping especially snugly next to each other. Ryu gestured to Fen to take another hay patch beside him.

"You wanna huddle together?" Ryu asked once they were sitting down. “For warmth?”

Fen almost scoffed at this suggestion from someone he'd barely known two days. Then he reminded himself that Pokémon weren’t the same as humans. "I'll be alright, but thanks for the offer," he said. He wasn’t cold; it seemed the right thing to do. He was a little touched by the gesture, in truth.

Ryu shrugged and curled up. Fen looked around again at the mass of sleeping bodies surrounding him. He fought to hold himself together, amid the mass of negative emotions swamping his mind.

_Maybe this won't be so bad… there's a safe place to stay here, as long as we can do whatever task Faoz gives us tomorrow. And I could ask if there's anyone in town who could help me recover my memories… that certainly sounds possible. Yeah, I'm sure I'll get answers if I just keep plugging away here… hopefully..._

He tried to concentrate on just breathing for a few minutes, in the hopes that it would sufficiently calm him. After some time, he heard a rustling next to him. Ryu opened an eye to check him, then closed it again. "Get some sleep, Fen," he murmured. "Please. You'll feel better for it."

Fen said nothing, but acknowledged Ryu by curling up into the small space his hay bed gave. The position felt nice, actually. Much more comfortable than how he'd slept the first night. Eventually, mostly by the virtue of plain exhaustion, he drifted off.


	4. Conflict

_Clack! Clack! Clack!_

“MOOOORNING my guild members!”

It was a high-pitched, slightly squeaky voice, but it had no trouble reaching the volume required to wake everyone in the small bedroom.

Ryu opened an eye sleepily, and glanced at the figure standing at the doorway, who was rapping a fin on her arm against the wall for further emphasis. It took him a second to recognise the species out of the water. _Buizel… so I guess it’s a relative of Faoz… ugh, this is early._

Most of the ‘mon in the room had gotten to their feet and were making their way out to the entrance. A quick look around told Ryu that they were used to this kind of early get up. Many of them were chatting excitedly, eager for whatever trials the day might have in store. And then… there was the Chimchar lying next to him.

“Fen…” Ryu muttered, giving him a gentle shake. “’Mon, it’s time to get up.”

Fen moaned something in protest, and tried to roll away from Ryu’s arm, but he pulled him around again, more forcefully.

“Fen! I know you’re awake because your stupid tail’s lit!” he hissed. In his ear, he whispered, “you’re the one who’s supposed to be trying to find out how you got here! Now c’mon!”

Reluctantly, Fen opened his eyes, unwilling to accept it was morning already. _Why didn’t I think sleep would be so important to Pokémon?_ he thought miserably. _Two days in and I’m already sleep-deprived to hell…I suppose the mental concentration I’m having to use just to learn how to function properly doesn’t help..._

“I need an early night some time,” he muttered to Ryu.

“Mm,” Ryu agreed, unwilling to acknowledge any more.

They were last ones out of the cramped room, as Fen stumbled behind Ryu, attempting to rub some life into his oversized eyes. He wasn’t sure how many Pokémon he expected to see in the guild, but was reassured that it didn’t seem to be a huge operation. He counted 20 altogether, plus him and Ryu, who were queuing up against the wooden board that was rather inadequately sized for the attention it demanded. There were little slips of paper pinned up all over, but these were gradually cleared off by other groups or individuals looking for work. Eventually, they made it to the front, and were met by Faoz again.

“Glad to see you made it here, eventually,” she laughed. “So, here are where all your jobs get listed.  I ask everyone to give the location of their task, what exactly it entails, their own location, and the reward they’re offering. Based on those I make a little judgement on the ‘difficulty’ of each task. It’s up to five stars, but in reality there’s very few tasks that warrant anything above three; and dare I say it, not many ‘mon around here would be up to that kind of challenge anyway. So keep that in mind when you’re choosing what you want to take. As you’re the last ones here, you’re not normally given too many choices anyway.” She gestured to the few scraps of paper still left.

“Why’s that?” Fen enquired, a little more awake. “That not many Pokémon living here can do the hardest missions?”

“Well…,” Faoz frowned. “My theory would be that once most ‘mon reach a very high level of competence, they prefer to go out on their own, exploring the world, rather than be kept locked in by this system of missions. There’s quite a consistent turnover of ‘mon in this place, at least in the short time I’ve been running it. Which I understand, of course, but it’s a shame they have to leave. That’s Pokémon for you, I suppose. Always looking to be the best.”

Fen thought about her words curiously. There was something about the way she spoke that seemed off slightly from the other Pokémon he’d met. She seemed very… well-travelled, was maybe the word?

“Anyway, enough of that,” Faoz went on, before he could probe any more. “Since you said you didn’t know your way around Kyunn, I’ve got a little something that might be of use…”

She stuck her arm around the back of the board, and produced a rolled-up sheet of card. Gesturing to them to open it, Fen and Ryu both gasped as they did.

“This is a map?” Fen asked. “It’s… amazing, really! I’ve never seen anything like it… did you draw all of this?”

“Heh, I wish,” Faoz laughed. “A good friend of mine, a Smeargle, is the one to thank.”

Fen hummed in acknowledgment. _Smeargle are the ones with the paint on their tails… it makes sense for them to be good artists, I guess._

The map was indeed entirely hand-drawn, and looked like something out of a storybook. Places not only had names but were illustrated with the type of terrain they occupied, with trees and shrubbery indicating forests and winding mountains showing … well, exactly that. It was coloured so vibrantly, Fen couldn’t help feeling an inexplicable excitement about these unknown lands he saw, despite his apprehension at whatever challenges lay ahead inside them. On every route, path or town there were recurring coloured markings, one that was a drawing of a flame, another of water droplets, and another of grassy vines. There was a drawing of a big Floatzel head in the middle of the map, presumably to indicate Sanguin Town, but as he glanced up to check the name was correct, he was met with a startling, if not entirely surprising realization. With Faoz still lurking, he tried to conceal his shock for the moment, not wanting to attract suspicion.

Faoz explained that each place was marked with the type of Pokémon most commonly found in that area – which explained the colour markings – and that the towns nearest the board would be 2-3 hours walk away, with some of the further locations needing several days to be traversed.

“I would normally give you a bag as well, but you seem to already have one…” she looked admiringly at Ryu’s rucksack. “Quite a sturdy one, too. I’d keep hold of it. The other thing you’ll need is this.”

She handed them a smallish, round device which Fen recognised.

“A compass,” he murmured. “Yeah, this will be helpful.” Ryu shot him a surprised look, which he returned with one of his own.

“Oh, you know how to use one already?” Faoz said. “That saves me a bit of time. If you can navigate, all you need to do now is choose a mission from the board.”

Fen couldn’t actually remember ever relying on a compass for navigation, but he didn’t suppose it could be too difficult. He guessed that Ryu had never seen one before, which explained his surprise. They took a look at the board, and Fen decided he needed to admit something.

“Ryu,” he hissed in his friend’s ear, “I can’t read this language at all! I have no idea what any of this is! Are they… footprints? What is this stuff…?”

Ryu chuckled quietly. “Alright, alright, no probs. Footprint runes, I can read ‘em. Hey, look at this one!” He tore a scrap of paper off the board, which had a letter attached to the bottom. “Says this: ‘Please deliver to my dearest friend in Voltaic Point, Piku (Raichu). Requested by Naks (Dedenne). Reward: 300 Poké. Two stars.’ Voltaic Point is _here_ on the coast, so going from our location… it should take us a few hours to reach.”

Fen nodded approvingly, though there wasn’t much else he could do in his situation of reliance. “Sounds alright, then,” he said.

Ryu carefully rolled the map up and slid it into his bag, along with the letter. “Thank you so much, Faoz!” he said delightedly. “We’ll take good care of the map and, uh, that other thing.”

“Wait…hold on,” Fen cut in, before they dismissed themselves. “What happens if, say, we faint on the journey there and can’t get back?”

Faoz looked at him strangely. “What’s your point?” she asked.

“Well, if we don’t return, is that it? We’re forgotten about?”

She shrugged. “It’s highly unlikely that you should find yourself in a position where you physically can’t get back here. If a wild knocks you out, then it’ll just move on and you’ll wake up slightly worse for wear. They’re only concerned with fighting whatever’s in their path.” She paused. “That’s the case for pretty much all lands north of here, where missions tend to be based. The south is… a slightly different story.

“Anyway, you might be in trouble if you lost your map, or fell in the sea, or something… in which case, I’ll put a notice up that you’re missing, if you’re gone an abnormally long time. But by that point you’re reliant of some other ‘mon or team to come and rescue you. I would just suggest you be cautious. Does that make sense?”

Fen wasn’t sure how to respond. “Well… I guess so,” he said eventually, not really satisfied.

Faoz nodded, the talk apparently wrapped up. “See you later, then,” she smiled toothily.

 

Once Fen and Ryu had breakfast and could locate the correct exit out of Sanguin Town, they found themselves wading in some long grass, not unlike that which they had encountered in Cheri Forest. Contrary to the mountain of yesterday (or “Mt. Horizon”, as he learned it had been creatively named), Fen realised that he _really_ didn’t like the grass. Having to shove thick blades out of his face every two seconds was bad enough, but he felt they were vulnerable to attacks from any angle, from any Pokémon, if it knew where it was going. Then his tail, leaving a singed-grass smell wherever they walked, was another matter entirely. It was a nice smell, though.

Ryu was holding the map, but Fen had doubts that he had much of an idea how to navigate it. Sadly, his own language impediment prevented him from having any sort of input on that front. He had given Ryu a quick tutorial on using a compass, so he could only hope that he had taken it on board.

“What’s this place called?” Fen asked after a while.

“Map says it’s ‘Route 4’,” Ryu mumbled.                                                                

“Route 4…,” Fen echoed. “That type of naming sounds familiar somehow. Are there many routes marked on the map?”

“Eh, a few,” Ryu said disinterestedly. He finally rolled up the map and tucked it away. “So, we can expect some Commons and Flyers on this route, apparently. I’d try and listen out for any birdsongs as a warning.”

Fen didn’t see any fault in that logic, so hummed in agreement. _Flyers… Pokémon have some interesting slang._

It wasn’t a birdsong that they heard shortly after, but a rustling in the grass ahead. It was a strange rhythm, sounding as if whatever was lurking was senselessly leaping around from one spot to the next. Suddenly, Ryu spotted a couple of heads peeking out of the top of the grass, with tiny black eyes indicating no emotion whatsoever. Identifying it as a Doduo, he quickly signalled for them to be still. The Doduo, upon spotting them, also stopped, tilting both its heads slightly as if to make sense of what it was seeing.

Then, taking the initiative, the Doduo yapped a sort of cry at them, and lunged heads-first towards Ryu, its mouth still open. To Fen’s surprise, Ryu squealed in panic, and, not fast enough to twist himself away, cried out a second later as the bird pecked at his body.

Not trusting himself to produce a decent ember, Fen tried to get close enough to the Doduo to claw at it, and he partially succeeded without landing a direct hit, as his swinging arms made it surrender its assault on Ryu. The bird cawed in protest, both its heads snapping in Fen’s direction. He managed to backpedal enough to avoid its attacks.

“Wait!” Fen said forcefully, as Ryu looked set to try a scratch. He stopped, and turned his head in bemusement. Fen himself was a little surprised at the authority of the order he’d given. He tried to gather his thoughts.

“Listen,” he barked hurriedly, pointing at the Doduo. “This thing is a total idiot, but it moves too fast for us to hit. If I–”

Before he could finish he saw Ryu disappear, then a flash of light burst through the Doduo’s body. A second later, Ryu reappeared on the other side of it, landing on all fours. The Doduo’s heads looked around in confusion, which was enough hesitation for Fen to be able swipe at its body with his claws. The bird thrashed around wildly in pain, but only briefly, as Fen heard a _thud_ from behind it. One of its heads opened its mouth impossibly wide, without a sound coming out. It made a few wayward steps before crashing to the ground.

“…Oh. Sorry,” Ryu laughed as Fen struggled to force off neck that he had fallen under. “Hey, what were you saying just then?”

“Thanks for listening,” Fen grumbled. “I just, uh… thought maybe if I distracted it, by waving my arms about or something, it would give you time to hit it properly. But I forgot you could do that flash-attack thing.” He sighed.

“Quick attack,” Ryu corrected, helping him up.

“Whatever. Good job on beating the Doduo, anyway.” Fen replied. A thought suddenly popped into his head. “Wouldn’t it be better if we tried co-ordinating our attacks somehow? So instead of it being us fighting as two individuals, we can team up, be more than the sum of our parts, so to speak?”

“Uh... ?” Ryu said, unconvinced.

“What I’m trying to say is, I have some obvious weaknesses, but if we’ve got a game plan when fighting together, I can be of a bit more use, right?”

Before Ryu could respond, they heard a low-pitched squeaking, and a pair of bright red eyes peeked out from inside the grass.

“Another one,” Ryu whistled, amused. “Rattata ain’t the strongest though.”

“Okay, try using a quick attack again,” Fen hurried. _Then it should be sufficiently distracted for me to attack, if the last Doduo was anything to go by._

“Alrighty,” Ryu shrugged. He jogged briefly on the spot before disappearing again. A familiar sequence of events, as the Rattata’s body flinched in surprise at the attack. Fen didn’t wait for Ryu to reappear this time, breathing in as much as he could hold before exhaling what he hoped would be fire. The result was a weak ember, barely singing the Rattata’s front body. In fact, it only seemed to anger the thing, and it snarled at Fen in response, before throwing its body forwards at him.

Fen yelped, turning his shoulder into the attack, but was still knocked off his feet. Annoyed, he leaped forwards acrobatically, using his back legs as a springboard, and slashed at the Rattata’s face twice, with both hands. It hissed something in response, and whipped its tail forwards to drive him back a little.

They faced off, a few yards apart from each other. Fen expected its next move would be to try and tackle him again, so dropped onto all fours and eyed it carefully, looking for any signs of movement that would give it away. Then, from just above its head, something purple caught his eye. It was the Rattata’s tail again, doing a strange sort of dance in the air. He only focused on it briefly, but it was enough for the Rattata to catch him off-guard when it finally leaped up at him.

In the split second it was in the air, he thought it had overcooked the jump. Its trajectory was going to land it just past him, wasn’t it? Or maybe it was _trying_ to get over him, for some other attack…

As it sailed past over his head he briefly lost sight of it, but felt it again with a jolt when it landed untidily on his back.

“Grrr… get off me!” he tried to say, but was cut short by a brief _cha_ sound from behind him, which he later observed was the sound of the Rattata’s mouth opening, before it sunk its huge teeth into his forearm.

Fen howled as a searing pain ran through his left arm. For all the cuts and bruises he’d experienced so far, he realised it couldn’t compare to the shock of something piercing right into his own body tissue. Now it was his turn to thrash about wildly, trying to throw of the Rattata who continued to clamp down on him, but it held on resolutely. Eventually, with no other way to get at his enemy, he spun himself in circles, and after a few seconds heard his foe wince slightly, and loosen its grip on him. The Rattata jumped off him and retreated to a safer distance.

Fen was confused at what had made it stop its bite, but he didn’t have time to consider that now. He instinctively readied his left arm for another scratch, but was met with a more overwhelming pain than before. He cursed loudly as he was reminded of where he was bitten. If his strong arm was useless, there wouldn’t be much value in going for another scratch. He would have to try an ember against it. _Dammit!_

He tried to draw some fire into his mouth ready, but then the Rattata jumped at him again, headed towards his right arm this time. It was in the air, flying towards him just above head-height, and he realised suddenly that this was ideal for his plan. He felt bad about what he was about to do, but… he couldn’t see another way out.

From point blank range, he spat a mouthful of flames into the Rattata’s face, which squealed in surprise, as well as from the pain which would become clear in a moment. Losing its trajectory, it fell weakly on the grass just behind him. Without hesitation, he pivoted and viciously slashed its face with his good arm, sending it rolling over a few times before it came to rest.

Fen gasped to catch his breath, and slumped down in the grass. He glanced at his arm. There were two bloody gashes where the Rattata had bitten into him, but there didn’t look to be any further damage. He managed to draw a circle with his arm just to check, wincing as he did so. Nothing looked fractured, at least.

The Rattata had attacked more savagely than any Pokémon he’d faced yet, but it seemed to have brought out the vicious streak in him as well. He sighed.

Ryu strolled over to him, and once again offered an arm up. Fen slapped it away angrily, and slowly got to his feet on his own. “Where’d you disappear to?” he demanded. “I thought we were battling as a team now! Where were you?”

Ryu took a step back, a little startled, but a familiar smirk soon took over his face. “I wanted to see how you’d do,” he smiled. “It was a pretty close matchup, I thought.”

“Yeah, but–“ Fen drew Ryu’s attention to his arm. “It bit me really hard! That hurts, you know!”

“Oh, you know why it hurts so much?” Ryu snapped. “Because while four-legs over there’s got his teeth in your arm, you’re flailing your limbs about like you’re a fucking Machamp or something. Anyone with half a brain would realise that’s just going to make the wound worse.”

Fen huffed resentfully. “Sorry I don’t have your level of bloody… fight training,” he grumbled.

“Well, you should!”

Fen looked at him in disbelief. “Sorry, but I wasn’t just _born_ into this world like you were!”

Ryu paused, then shook his head. “You moan more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Do you want to know why?!” Fen was almost screaming at him. “Do you have _any idea,_ any at all, what this is like for me? No? So don’t accuse me of doing something that _you_ think’s obvious, because it’s not! I’m not like you! Maybe I look like a perfectly normal Chimchar to you, but… _”_

He trailed off, unsure how to finish; his words had said enough. And he was shaking. His raised emotions seemed to have alerted his battle instincts again, but he told them in no uncertain terms that they weren’t welcome.

Ryu looked to be considering his words carefully. Eventually, he took a seat in the grass facing him.

“Alright, I’m sorry.” He looked Fen in the eye, completely serious. “I’m sorry, okay? You’re right. It can’t be easy for you, trying to learn all this. I’ll try and be more understanding.”

Fen was stunned at his change of face. He hoped Ryu had meant his words. “I know you’re just trying to help me… it’s just hard to see that sometimes. Can you just… try and give me advice, now and again?”

“Sure! One condition, though,” Ryu said, his smirk returning. “You stop moaning when something happens that you don’t like.”

“I think you’re guilty of that as well,” Fen countered.

Ryu laughed. “Okay, for my first lesson,” he said with mock gravitas, “let me show you something.”

He led Fen over to the fallen Rattata in the grass. It was still conscious, but its body only twitched weakly. Its eyes gazed at the two of them resentfully.

“Look at him. You’ve just gone and torched his whole face, and left a slash in one of its ears.” It was crude, but Fen couldn’t disagree with Ryu’s description. The Rattata’s ears and snout were particularly blackened by his ember. He felt guilty about the injury he’d caused.

“Now,” Ryu went on, “I’m going to say that in a little while, he’ll be back up on his feet and moving again. And in the same amount of time, your arm will be, maybe not entirely healed, but it won’t hurt like it does now. I’m not sure what galaxy you’re coming from Fen, but these injuries are really not that bad _._ You get them all the time! That’s just how life is.”

 _Hmm, maybe that’s true for you,_ he thought, but thought better than to say it aloud. The shock of being bitten had provoked him more than the pain really warranted. He decided that, for the time being, he should try and keep any conflict between him and Ryu to a minimum.

“Shall we move on?” he asked. Ryu was happy to oblige.

 

Some time later, Fen picked up a quiet padding of feet in the distance. Ryu seemed to hear it too, for he spoke immediately after.

“Y’know what you were saying, about how to combine our attacks? I’ve got a better idea of one we can try,” he said.

“Oh? What’s that?” Fen enquired.

Ryu smirked. “It’d be better if I show you. Oh look, here’s a welcome volunteer for us.”

Walking towards them, not even trying to camouflage themselves, was a pink, bipedal figure. As it got nearer, Fen started to make out the rest of its strange features: white fluff covering its head and upper body, a blue orb sitting at the end of its tail, its arms and legs strangely tiny in proportion to its body size.

“Flaaffy,” Ryu said. “An Electric, that’s interesting. Didn’t say anything about ‘em on the map…”

He stopped walking, waiting for the Flaaffy to do something to signify battle. Instead, it did the last thing Fen had expected.

“Hey!” she said brightly, holding up a paw in greeting. “Where are you two off two? Voltaic Point by any chance?”

Fen and Ryu both stood dumbstruck for a second at the revelation. It only made sense that there would be ‘civilised’ Pokémon on routes like these as well as just wilds, Fen thought, but he still hadn’t seen it coming. He noticed the Flaaffy had a small shoulder bag slung over its head, and noted that as an indicator for non-wild Pokémon in the future.

Ryu dropped his eyes in disappointment. “We thought you were a wild,” he sighed.

“Uh, we are going to Voltaic Point, yeah,” Fen added cheerfully, not wanting to make the Flaaffy feel too unwelcome.

She smiled. “Ah well, that’s where I’m hatched from, you see. It’s just a little further up the grass path here, you shouldn’t be able to miss it. I’m Raffi, by the way.” She seemed to have side-stepped Ryu’s slightly rude comment expertly.

Fen and Ryu likewise introduced themselves, and Raffi went on.

“I’m curious, what brings a couple of travellers to our Electric home? Is it your first time there?”

“Well, we’re not here for ‘travelling’, exactly…” Fen said. “We’re delivering a letter to someone living there, for a client in Sanguin Town.” He thought about her words again and latched onto a curiosity. “It’s an Electric home? What do you mean?”

“Ah, yes,” she nodded to his first point. “As for what that means…” she smiled as she tried to explain. “The air around the Point, and even here to some extent, as we’re on the edge of our village right now; it attracts strong winds and plenty of thunder, for reasons I’m not totally sure of, to be honest. What that means is that the air is highly charged, more than any other place you’ll find on Kyunn. We live on electricity, of course, so you can imagine that it’s an ideal habitat for Electrics. It gets our fur sparkling!”

“…Wow, okay,” Fen said, unsure how else to respond. _I didn’t know a place like that even existed… it’s pretty clever on their part._

“So… what does it mean more literally for your fur to be sparkling?” he asked.

She laughed. “Well, it _does_ sparkle the more charged we are; I wasn’t making that up. I suppose ‘mon are just healthier and happier, and can produce stronger electrical attacks than they would elsewhere.”

Ryu’s ears seemed to prick up on hearing this. “Huh? Did you say your attacks are stronger? They get supercharged or something?”

“Not exactly supercharged…” Raffi said. “Not unless we manage to get under a _real_ lightning strike and manage to contain the power of it; that is possible, by the way. But the power of our attacks is boosted slightly due to the charged air.” She titled her head slightly, trying to obtain what Ryu was getting at.

“So… any way you could show us what you mean?” Ryu asked excitedly.

Raffi sighed. “You really wanted to battle me, didn’t you.”

“Agh! I…” Ryu stuttered, trying to cover himself. Eventually, he gave up. “Well, yeah. Could you? With both of us?”

“Of course!” she grinned, sparks of electricity suddenly flying from her white fleece. “I’d never want to turn down a fight with some fellow travellers.”

She swung off her bag and laid it aside on the grass. Ryu looked uneasy, but he nonetheless did the same with his, putting it right to Raffi’s bag. She got into a crouched position, her arms sitting just above the ground. “Ready?”

Fen glanced at Ryu for guidance. He had adopted the same stance he always did prior to fighting; slightly crouched, arms out in front of him in a martial arts-style pose. Fen perched himself on all fours, having gotten used to the feeling of it by now.

“Watch this…” Ryu whispered to him, before immediately turning back to Raffi and shouting “Go!” He leaped towards her, shaping to strike her with his left arm, but as he swung, he pulled out at the last second. Raffi instinctively moved out of the way in anticipation of the attack, but as Ryu sailed past she looked round, confused at where he had landed.

Now Fen saw what he meant. By faking an attack, he disorientated the opponent, which now gave scope for him or Ryu again to get a free attack off. _He could’ve just told me what he was doing…_ he sighed. Ryu certainly enjoyed having an element of surprise.

Still, he saw the opportunity and slashed at the Flaaffy’s belly with his decent arm; the area that it looked to give least protection to, with no woolly fur covering it. She grunted in pain, but was practically unmoved from her position. Then a much stronger _whack_ hit her back as Ryu force palmed from the unprotected space on her back. The effect of Ryu’s glowing paw, an attack which he had explained to Fen before, made Raffi growl a high-pitched noise. She swung her tail in a circle quickly to force both of them away. It did the trick, but she had still barely moved herself. Fen felt that was a strange strategy to follow, unless she knew something they didn’t.

Her face contorted in concentration, as sparks started to gather on her woolly fur. But it was a slow process, and she looked too slow to avoid another attack. Feeling confident, Fen started to approach for another scratch, but then found… he couldn’t. His feet seemed frozen to the ground. It was a familiar feeling, but… where from?

Then he remembered. Fighting the Shroomish in Cheri Forest, when it had sent those spores into the air… so he was paralysed?!

 _But… she hasn’t done anything!_ he thought, dismayed. _All I did was hit her… is that all it took to paralyse me?_

He could still move his eyes, and managed to seek out Ryu in the corner of his vision, who looked to be suffering the same problem as him. Raffi’s static had grown into a sizzling ball of electricity now, contained just in front of her hands and about half her body size. Ryu managed to break free of his electrical handcuffs before Fen, but as he tried to attack again, the electricity ball engulfed Raffi, and she released it in a horizontal lightning bolt, striking Ryu full on as he was running towards her.

“Ryu!” Fen cried. He thought he was going to follow that up with a shout of “hey!” at Raffi, but instead what came out was an “ _aiieeee_ ”, his own screech of a cry that he supposed sounded a lot more threatening. He still wasn’t a fan of his cry, but it at least seemed to break him out of paralysis. He hurriedly shook some feeling back into his arms.

He saw that Ryu was thrown to the ground from the force of the blast. His fur was standing on end at funny angles, and he didn’t look up to fight again. Fen couldn’t help be a little surprised at his lack of resistance. In the meantime, he tried to use what he knew about their opponent already to give him at least a fighting chance, if he was indeed on his own now.

She was slow. That was the most obvious thing he could tell. When they had used physical attacks on her, she hadn’t come close to avoiding either, even if Ryu’s feint had unbalanced her to start with. Also, she wouldn’t have been able to charge up her last attack had they both not been paralysed.

If he used a physical attack again, she might be able to paralyse him again. So that was out of the question. He would have to use his ember, and hit at a fast-enough rate so that she couldn’t dodge out of the way or use the time to hit him with her own attack.

It was a shaky strategy, but a strategy nonetheless. _Well, here goes…_

He got himself in range for an ember, and fired off just as he saw her prepare another electric blast. She hissed in pain from his attack, but that didn’t stop her charging her own. He started galloping in a circle around her, hoping it would reduce her accuracy. She threw a ball of electricity at him, but it was just behind him, and he felt the electricity singe his tail slightly as he dove forwards to avoid it.

 _Phew!_ He scrambled to his feet to survey the situation, seeing Raffi was _still_ unmoved from her spot on the grass. As he started to put the same plan into motion again, he caught something strange happening to the woolly fleece around her head and upper body. It expanded briefly, and then little spheres broke off it, hanging just in front of her. She flicked her head very slightly in Fen’s direction, and then the cotton spores shot over to him and wrapped themselves around him.

He tried to keep running, but the spores weighed him down far more than he felt should be feasible given their flimsiness. It was like running through treacle, or more likely, cotton wool. Startled at this new form of attack, he fumbled with the spores, trying to pull them off before realising burning them with fire would be more efficient. But he was distracted, and only had time to briefly process his lapse of concentration before Raffi hit him with a full body tackle.

He doubted she was the heaviest ‘mon, given the punitive nature of her limbs and the wool that inflated the size of her. But she hit him right in the stomach, and it winded him badly. He coughed out a few smoke plumes as he tried to regain his breath, noting that as something he would have to look into another time.

While he was on the floor, his opponent had used the time to charge herself yet again, and this time made no mistake with her aim. The bolt of electricity hit him.

The best way he could describe how it felt would be that all his muscles contracted simultaneously, as if they were getting tensed for something, but to an unfeasible level that rendered him practically immobile. It was similar to being paralysed, but this time the paralysis was only the outcome of the original damage. It was too much for his body to take, and his limbs refused to cooperate with him further.

He knew he was beaten, but he hadn’t been injured to the point of fainting. He guessed that, being a civilised ‘mon, Raffi probably knew to stop attacking when the fight was clearly over, and not be unnecessarily cruel. He was glad for that, but the ruthlessness with which she’d despatched both him and Ryu suggested she wasn’t holding back by much. He sighed in exasperation, wondering how well Ryu would take the defeat.

He saw a pink shape enter his field of vision. Glancing up, it was Raffi. She offered him a hand up, which he carefully accepted, making sure his legs would support him again. She went over to do the same with Ryu, who gazed at her almost mystically.

“Hey… you’re pretty strong,” he coughed, grimacing. “All that small talk put me off guard. Fair play.”

Raffi chuckled, her battle demeanour seemingly entirely removed again. “Are you both alright?” she asked, frowning. “I hope I wasn’t too heavy on you. There’s still a fair little journey to get where you need to…”

“No… we’re fine,” Ryu muttered. “Right Fen?”

“Yeah… could we take a couple of minutes, though?”

Ryu rolled his eyes. “Alright. Thanks again, Raffi.”

Raffi looked at them both pitifully. She picked up her bag and fished around inside until she pulled out a round, blue berry. “Here… it’s not much, but I suppose it’s a way of expressing my thanks.”

She extended to them, and in a rapid shift of mood, Ryu grabbed it excitedly, breaking it in half for Fen.  

Fen looked sceptically at the handful of berry he was given. It looked somewhat familiar to him as something Pokémon were fed, though he couldn’t remember anything more specific than that. Ryu caught his look, and smiled gleefully. “Trust me, these things are good,” he said. “Just give it a try.”

Fen took a cautious bite. The flavour was pleasant enough, an interesting mix of spice, sweetness and sourness, but more or less what he expected. The impact on his body, though, was extraordinary, and entirely unexpected. His aches from past battles declined rapidly as he ate more, and by the end he felt revitalised and positively bouncing with energy. Even his arm felt, if not as good as new then certainly well enough to fight with again. Ryu watched, doing his best not to laugh at his reaction.

“Oran berries,” he said in amusement. “Good stuff, right?”

Fen shook his head in joyous disbelief. “What have I been eating for my entire life…?” he mused. “How… how is this possible?”

After he was done greedily licking the remaining berry juice from his hands, he thanked Raffi profusely for the gift. She was puzzled by his amazement, but still accepted the thanks. After giving them rough directions for Voltaic Point, pointing out that it _should_ be very simple to reach anyway, they parted ways again.

 

The long grass gradually began to thin out, and the ground started to move to an upwards incline. They spotted a sign ahead, which Ryu inspected.

“‘Voltaic Point ahead. Beware of lightning’,” he translated. Next to the sign there were some rough steps carved into the rock, uneven and cracked after many years of use. The steps led into a delicately carved trail through the mountain itself, until this gave way to a smooth, grassy, surface again.

Voltaic Point turned out to be a rather small village, set in some grassy plains. The few houses around were built on hills that made up the bulk of the area. Most were decorated in yellow, some with additional lightning bolt-esque patterns on the exterior.

“This is Voltaic Point?” Fen said. “Odd place to have a village. I wonder why they chose to be right next to a cliff? And the ground isn’t even very flat.”

“Mm,” Ryu muttered. “Well, we just need to find this Raichu now. You know what they look like?”

Fen tried to visualise it. “White and orange colour, two arms and legs, big tail?”

Ryu chuckled. “Good description. I’ve seen ‘em a couple times before too, I was just testing.”

Asking an Ampharos at the nearest house took them to a fairly standard, yellow-and-white coloured building, where they found Piku, who was both delighted and surprised to learn of Naks the Dedenne’s letter to her. She asked where they were from, and jumped at their response.

“But Sanguin Town is such a long way from here!” she exclaimed, little sparks of electricity flying off her as she gesticulated. “Really, Naks should’ve come to meet me herself, if you had to go to so much trouble. But thank you, nonetheless.”

They chatted with Piku at the door for a bit about the journey there, and then she asked them if they’d ever been to the village before. Both of them shook their heads.

“Ah, well then.” She smiled knowingly. “I should probably let you in on why this village is how it is. There’s a reason why it was built on a cliff.”

“Oh, the Flaaffy we met already explained that,” Ryu said. “Something about how the air here is charged?”

Piku nodded. “What about the Point itself?”

The pair exchanged a blank look. “I don’t know what you mean,” Ryu said. “Oh! Raffi mentioned something about absorbing the power of a lightning strike… is it anything to do with that?”

Piku’s eyes seemed to light up. She walked outside and looked towards the sky. “What she told you was correct,” she said. “Basically, the Point is wherever the very strongest electrical charge is coming from. If you’re an Electric ‘mon and you’re there at the right time, when there’s storm clouds in the air… well, let me just show you. Come on!”

She skipped past the houses and over to an area right at the edge of the cliff, where several high rocks were rooted into the ground. Deftly leaping onto one, she turned in a circle, and seemed to flex her giant ears, searching for a sound Fen was unaware of. Finally, she turned to face them again.

“This is about it,” she said. “The Point doesn’t always stay in the same place; right now, the strongest signal is coming from right around here.” She grinned excitably. “Now stay back! Hopefully this won’t take too long.”

They retreated to behind a sturdy looking rock about 50 yards away from Piku’s spot, and waited. It was hard to tell what exactly Piku was doing, as all they could see was a look of intense concentration on her face. Then suddenly, there was a rumbling. Thunder. Piku’s head snapped up to the sky, where storm clouds were swirling menacingly, more so than a few minutes ago. A second later, lightning struck.

It was precisely where she was standing, but after Fen uncovered his eyes from the initial blinding light, he saw with astonishment that Piku was wrestling with the lightning bolt, trying to bring it under control. She held the base of it in her arms, and slowly dropped down onto all fours as she tried to reel it in closer. The lightning sizzled with energy, and seemed to be doing the same to her body, with her tail flicking about wildly with the effort.

Finally, she stopped struggling, her muscles relaxing, and the lightning vanished. Only Piku was on the rock again, but even from their distance away, she looked different. Her fur was glowing with electrical energy, just like what Raffi had eluded to. She beckoned them over again.

“Phew! That was bigger than I expected.” Her voice carried seemed to carry some extra low frequencies, which Fen supposed were induced by the electricity she carried.

She hopped off the rock and started scrambling on all fours towards the sea. “Over here!” she called. “This is the best bit! Keep your distance, though!”

The water was choppy with the high winds, and she managed to find a rock a fair way out to sea, just tall enough for it to not be completely submerged. Ryu perched on the side of the cliff face a few metres away. Fen intended to follow, but as he got closer to the bottom he felt a strange resistance stopping him. It surely couldn’t be anything physical; they were shielded from the wind at this angle, and there was nothing visibly blocking him. As he willed himself to drop nearer the water, another part of him was instinctively trying to pull away. He sighed in exasperation.

He dropped closer to the others, and glared down at the sea in an attempt to scare off whatever this resistance was. To his surprise though, the feeling of anxiousness that had been brewing in him jumped back up with twice the ferocity as before. He gasped in shock at the explosion of emotion, and did all he could not to whimper in fear as he clutched onto the rock face tighter.

 _Does this mean… I’m afraid of the sea now?_ he thought. _How stupid… like I’m ever going to fall in from here. But if I did, what would happen? Would I be able to swim? Would my tail go out completely? Would that mean–_

He was broken out of contemplation by an ear-splitting _crack_ from above him, and he cast his eyes down to see Piku’s body engulfed in crackling electricity. She roared something to no one in particular, then another crack, and finally her electricity seemed to converge with the thunderheads in the sky; it created a huge, vertical thunderbolt that crashed into the sea ahead of them, sending waves and a few unlucky fish flying in all directions.

Fen instinctively held up an arm to shield himself from the splash, even though the water was spraying a fair distance below him. Then he heard Ryu shout “Mew!” from below and pulled his arm away, puzzled as to what had provoked him.

The thunder had turned the sky around them a shade of yellow, acting almost like an artificial Sun. The brightness reflected on the water itself, creating an almost dream-like mesh of blue and yellow hues, in perfect view of their sight. Even the part of Fen that feared the sea seemed content enough to observe the beauty of it for a few seconds.

 _I’ve had this feeling before,_ he thought. _This kind of natural beauty that exists on this island, Kyunn… it really is something else! It makes sense that Pokémon like it here…_

Once he had hurriedly pulled himself back to the top of the cliff, Ryu and a slightly staggering Piku re-joined him.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Fen said to Piku. “I didn’t know even you could _do_ that with water and lightning! It’s amazing!”

“Heh… that’s why you were lucky to have come today,” Piku panted. “The skies recently have been really volatile. When I looked out of the window, I knew I had to show you. Think of it as my way of thanks for you coming so far.”

“I, uh, just have a question though,” Fen said. “Why did you have to discharge all that energy so quickly? I mean, you’re not glowing like you were a few minutes ago. Isn’t that a bad thing?”

Piku looked at him curiously, then nodded. “If we’re too highly charged, it can be hard to keep our emotions in check, what with the over-abundance of energy we’re carrying. As nice as it looks,” she smiled, “it makes sense to discharge it, as you say. Makes for a nice light show, though?”

“Oh sure!” him and Ryu both agreed.

After some more thanks from both parties, they began the considerable journey back to Sanguin Town. The day had given Fen much to contemplate. He hadn’t counted on having a fear of the sea, but he supposed it did make sense given his biology, as much as it irked him. He hoped that it wouldn’t act as a hindrance to whatever lay in store in the future. That aside, if there were more sights like what they’d seen from Piku today, the future was looking like a more bearable prospect after all.


	5. Assistance

After their mission they arrived back in Sanguin Town in the late evening, where dusk was just beginning to fall. Fen thought it lucky that their journey back had been more battle-free than the one towards Voltaic Point, but he was finally beginning to feel fatigue setting in.

When they arrived, his attention was immediately caught by a Quilava that was lighting torches around town which functioned like street-lights. Compared to his own fire-breathing struggles, he was amazed at the control she had over her power, breathing out just enough of a puff to light each candle, and showing no signs of tiredness in the process.

He considered if it was worth asking her for advice.  _Are Pokémon even conscious of how they use their abilities?_ he pondered.  _I've never asked Ryu how he learnt all of his moves. Still, I could probably learn a few things from her…_

He was more entranced in the Quilava's performance than he realised, judging by the impatient nudge Ryu gave him towards the guild. They still had a mission to report, after all. When they entered, instead of Faoz sitting at the main desk there was a Buizel, who was perched up on a chair to try and make up for her lack of height.

"Heya!" she said as they approached. "Got a completed mission for us?"

"Hey… you're the one who woke us up," Ryu murmured.

"You remember me!" She smiled boyishly. "I'm Buin. I help out a bit here whenever mum's out swimming."

 _She goes swimming?_ Fen supposed that a water Pokémon would want to spend some time in their element, but it seemed a tad impractical for business. He decided to ignore it for now.

Ryu nodded to Buin, and pulled out the completed mission slip they had. They'd visited Naks on the outskirts of town with the news, and a little note of Piku's own that she'd hurriedly put together. Naks had then dipped one of her paws in a small pot of ink, and 'stamped' it on their mission slip to indicate, apparently, that it was complete.

She had handed over the 300 Poké to them in the form of three gold coins. It was a material Fen didn't recognise, and he was impressed that the Pokémon of the island seemed to have had developed their own currency. And while he couldn't read the inscriptions on the coins, numbers were a medium he understood.

Buin murmured approvingly, and with her own ink drew something resembling a tick on a piece of card she had on the table.

"Great! Now, you got 300 Poké, so… that's 150 for the guild, and the other half for you to keep!"

"Wait, what?!" Ryu withdrew his hand abruptly from Buin's outstretched paw. "We don't get to keep this?! It's ours!"

The Buizel sighed like she'd heard something similar before. "Sorry, but it's the rules. Mum says we need the money to keep everything here running."

Ryu slowly reached his arm out, but didn't hand the money over. He looked torn over what to do.

"Ryu, just give her the money, man," Fen said tiredly. "Did you really think we'd get to keep it all? We're getting beds, food, plus the map and compass all for free here; it only makes sense that they'd need a share of what we earn in return."

Ryu shot him with an irritated look in response. "Hey, I like you!" Buin giggled to Fen.

"I just never considered that we wouldn't keep it…" Ryu grumbled, as he finally handed the coins over. Buin grinned gleefully, and rummaged in a pouch before pulling out five smaller, silver coins. With one of the 100 Poké coins, she passed their half back. "There ya go. Oh, and if it's your first day, you're meant to have one of these too…" She gave them a small, rugged looking purse, which Ryu slid the coins into.

"Thanks," he muttered grudgingly. "Dinner still going?"

Buin peered into the canteen to their right, which had a few Pokémon dotted around. "Ya, you're not too late."

"Aight." Ryu led him and Fen inside.

The eating arrangement was pretty simple, from what Fen could tell. They lined up in the canteen, got a tray with your bowl of water and whatever food the chefs had concocted, and that was it. There were two long tables set out with benches either side; one at a more accommodating height for those Pokémon that struggled to reach 3 feet, like himself and Ryu, and the other a couple of feet higher. There were some Pokémon who equally found it more convenient to not sit at a table at all, and so there was plenty of space in the corners of the room to fit them in. It was late now though, and the room was mostly deserted.

Fen picked up their tray from a Delibird who appeared to be the head chef, and took it to a space on the lower table. As in the morning, he contemplated how exactly he was supposed to eat the strange mush in front of him. Then, he had seen the Pokémon around him stick their heads into their bowls with no regard for how they might look, or how much of a mess they'd make. He looked across the table to see Ryu already employing that strategy, leaning the bowl up to his mouth with one hand. Cutlery didn't exist, apparently.

Fen sighed. He knew this was what he was  _supposed_ to do, but he couldn't bring himself to it. To compromise he picked up some food in one hand and ate off that, like candy floss. He couldn't fault the quality of food, though; whatever they were cooking up, on both occasions he had eaten it had been delicious.

"So, this money we've got," he said to Ryu. "What can you do with it exactly? What do Pokémon buy?"

Ryu smirked. "Well, as I said before, where I lived there was plenty of food to find in the mountains and below. I've never had any money until now."

"Is… that why you didn't want it taken away?" Fen offered.

"Yeah, probably," Ryu shrugged. "We can check out the town tomorrow if we're not out for as long. What would  _humans_ buy with money, anyway?"

Fen instinctively glanced around, but no one nearby seemed to be listening. "Keep your voice down!" he hissed.

Ryu smiled nonchalantly. "It's fine. I hardly _revealed_ anything, did I?"

Fen sighed. Lowering his voice, he said, "If you don't even know what a human is, it's difficult to explain some of these things to you. Like clothing. Pokémon don't wear any as far as I can see, but it's a basic requirement of humans really, to cover yourself. That can cost a lot of money."

"Why's that?"

"Huh?"

"Why do they need to cover themselves?" Ryu smirked.

"Uh… modesty? And depending on the weather, they'd need more clothes to stop themselves getting cold."

"They'd get cold?!" Ryu exclaimed. "Pfft, that's the weakest reason ever. They can't even keep warm? I'm not convinced by these humans."

"Well… I'm not exactly covering them in glory," Fen admitted. "If you met them you'd be more impressed, I think."

Ryu chuckled in response. Fen felt glad that he'd at least accepted the modesty reason without argument.

On the way back through the guild's main entrance, they caught Faoz's eye, now back in her familiar role at the admin desk. "Ah, good to see you two again!" she said, smiling. "I take it the mission was a success?"

"Yeah, at least until it got to the money side," Ryu said bitterly. Fen gave him an elbow in annoyance.

"It was fine, thanks," he said to Faoz.

Faoz nodded. "Are you staying another night here?"

The thought hadn't even crossed Fen's mind; he'd already taken this place to be his temporary home, at least. He exchanged a look with Ryu, who shrugged as if to say:  _what else can we do?_

"I guess so," Fen said.

Faoz nodded, and wished them goodnight. Before they went back to their own sleeping room, Fen wanted to check out the room he'd seen next door to them, a little further down the corridor. He peeked inside, and was slightly disappointed to see a more-or-less identical set-up to their own room. A Croconaw and Kabutops were having a hushed conversation, while he also noticed a Persian curled up, a Ninetails stretched out by contrast, a Hitmontop that was balanced rather precariously against a wall, and a fluffy, four-legged 'mon with a bushy tail that he didn't recognise. He quickly pulled his head away from the doorway before any of them saw him. From what he could tell, the room was for the larger sized Pokémon, hence why he'd counted fewer of them. They didn't get any greater luxury to their beds, though.

The hay beds they had hardly looked comfortable, but they were accommodating enough, especially after a hard day's work. And it certainly beat sleeping outside. He wondered if he would enjoy a real, human bed as much now being a Chimchar.  _Wouldn't I just burn it? I'd have to lie on my front all night…_

With those thoughts, he began drifting off to sleep. Though he was hopeful of an adequate amount of rest for once, this wouldn't be the night for it.

* * *

It was in the early hours of the morning when there was suddenly a deep rumbling from the ground. It was at the kind of ultra-low frequency that could be felt more than heard. A few bodies stirred, but most didn't seem at all affected by the sound.

Then, there was another rumbling, and this time it really was felt. The room began swaying from side to side, the light fittings on the walls shaking wildly. The Pokémon woke almost simultaneously, and the whole guild became a frenzy of confused shouting as they tried to make sense of what was happening.

"What… what?!" Fen's breath caught as he tried to speak.  _This trembling… is it an earthquake?! How…?_

Whatever it was, he felt an awful, overwhelming sense of panic at the tremors, irrationally so. He was on his side, looking desperately for something to hold onto, but the floor of the room was bare asides from the hay beds they had – they wouldn't be any use. In the darkness, his tail flame only offered the smallest light, which hardly helped his vision.

He saw Ryu curled into a ball to protect himself, not showing the same levels of alarm but still clearly disturbed by the tremors. Then out of nowhere, a single grass vine appeared in front of him. Trying to find the source, he found an Ivysaur standing bravely behind him, with one other vine coming out of the bud on its back. Fen's ears didn't seem to be functioning properly, but he saw the Ivysaur open his mouth and appear to utter just two words: " _Take it!_ "

Without hesitating, Fen gripped onto the vine and tried to steady himself. Worried he might be overexerting the Ivysaur, he glanced back at him again, and saw he was straining, but he had a fierce determination in his eyes. It was no use trying to speak, so Fen mouthed a "Thank you!" back to his rescuer.

After what felt like hours, and after a couple of torches in the room had crashed to the ground, the tremors and rumbling finally began to cease. In the dim light that remained, Fen saw with some surprise that most of the Pokémon had formed an uneven circle around him. Puzzled as to why he would be the go-to figure, the Ivysaur answered his question unintentionally.

"Good thing you've got that tail of yours, Chimchar," he said, panting a little. Fen realised that he was still tightly holding his vine, and hurriedly let it go.

"Sorry! I…" he faltered. "Just, thank you... I really needed that, uh…"

"Savi." The Ivysaur shrugged it off shyly. "It's fine. Got these vines for a reason."

Fen introduced himself, then hesitantly offered his other pressing question. "Savi, do you know… what that was, exactly? An earthquake?"

Savi looked equally concerned. "I've never experienced anything like it. I've felt an earthquake in battle before, only once, granted, but it didn't feel anything like that. It felt too…  _deep,_ somehow. It's hard to explain."

Fen nodded in agreement. "Really, I thought I was going to have a heart attack or something," he laughed weakly.

He thought to himself:  _Isn't Fire is weak to ground? I think so…that would make sense, and would make me feel a bit better about myself…_

Ryu sitting up again now looking a little shaky, and he glanced at Fen, nodding to confirm they were both okay. Next to Savi, the Luxio he had been with groaned from the floor. He was still holding one of the vines.

"Lucxa?" Savi said, looking concerned.

The Luxio looked up at them with a pained expression. He growled something that sounded like a whine, and slumped his head down again, unwilling to move.

"Earthquakes are especially bad for 'mon like Luxio, being opposed to Ground attacks," Savi muttered sadly. "How're you feeling, Fen?"

"Well…" He was shivering for some unknown reason, certainly not due to the cold. That aside, his physical and emotional levels felt stable again. "It was bad, but I'll survive. I've never felt an earthquake before…"

"Yeah…" Ryu murmured next to him. "I don't know  _what_  just happened…"

They chatted a little more, but mostly sat in an anxious silence, waiting for something to happen. The earthquake had shaken them too much for sleep to be considered. After a while, Buin appeared in the doorway, looking as frightened as anyone. "You should come outside," she said simply, then said the same to the room next door.

There was quickly a rush of bodies hurrying out of the doors, to where the torches usually reserved for evenings had already been lit, compensating for the lack of daylight. The damage the earthquake had caused looked significant, but not fatal. Roofs and ceilings on some less-sturdily designed houses had fallen in or in a few cases been entirely reduced to rubble and splinters. The hardened mud that functioned as a path had been cracked in places. Some 'mon were looking startled around them at the damage to their homes, or others'. Most, however, had joined the rest of the crowd out to a makeshift town square, which was large enough for them to stand in and largely free of debris. In the centre of the square, Faoz was in intense conversation with a Furret, who looked rather more laid back about events, and a Marowak, who repeatedly tapped his bone on the ground when he spoke.

"I don't see why we should take more precautions when this is the first time, in all my years here, that we've had any earthquake like this," the Furret was saying.

"Yes, but who's to say it won't happen again?" Faoz said irritably. "With an event as unknown to our lands as this, surely it would make sense to take a cautious view on the future. The storm three days ago was unexpected as well, even if it had died down once it reached here."

"If we should agree on one thing, let's make sure the town is at least back in working order," the Marowak asserted. "Then we should get Taluk's view on things. Whether he'll have anything to suggest, who knows."

The Furret nodded approvingly. "I think that's a good course of action," he said. "Faoz, what do you say?"

Faoz sighed. She lifted her gaze up to see about 20 guild members looking attentively, and turned back to the Furret and Marowak. "Very well. Stowk, can you get the builders organised? I can get my guild to help out, since you'll be needing a few more pairs of hands to clear up, I take it. And find as many Grounds like yourself to investigate these tremors, see if other towns were hit as badly."

Stowk murmured something in agreement, then barked out some semi-intelligible orders to the Machoke, who followed after him towards a damaged area of town.

Faoz turned to address the guild. "Needless to say, normal missions are suspended for today," she said, looking disgruntled. "Those of you who can, help out Stowk's team with repairing the mess. Those of you who can't…" she shrugged. "Make yourselves useful. That's all."

As they started following Stowk's group, Fen turned to ask, "Savi, who were those Pokémon Faoz was talking to?" When no answer came, he looked over. The Ivysaur was nowhere to be seen. He glanced around the crowd of 'mon, confused, but he had vanished.

A Croconaw walking beside him had apparently heard his question, though. "The Furret's called Ferri, he's the mayor of town. The Marowak is just the boss of those Machoke builders, and the fact he's a Ground helps when we've just had an earthquake, I guess."

"Oh, thanks," Fen said. "What about who they were talking about, Taluk?

"Electabuzz, he runs the security around here," the Croconaw explained. "But he didn't show up just now. Probably something to do with being an Electric in that earthquake. Hopefully he's alright."

Ryu was still beside him, and they soon reached a site where a couple of Machoke were busy relaying instructions to a ramshackle group of 'mon like themselves. Fen noted that they were, more or less, all bipedal.  _I almost forgot that not all Pokémon have arms; I guess Savi wouldn't be much use here… but even so, I don't understand why he would have left me so abruptly! Maybe I just wasn't paying attention…_

"Aight, you two!" A Machoke suddenly snapped at Fen and Ryu. "Think ya could fetch us some wood for construction?"

"Uh, where's best boss?" Ryu asked back.

"From the woodland just out town," the Machoke said. "It's easy to get to, just head outta the exit left of here. Yous gonna need summit' to chop it down?"

Ryu hesitated, and without waiting for a reply, the Machoke chucked him an axe small enough for him to handle, then followed it up with a huge paper carrier bag. "'ere. Fit in as much as ya can," he barked at them. "Try an' be quick about it too."

"Sure thing," Ryu said, and Fen nodded in conformation, feeling a little intimidated standing against the Machoke's huge body shape. His own puny height didn't help either.

As they headed off on the Machoke's direction, he asked Ryu: "Why'd you call him 'boss'?"

Ryu shrugged. "Gotta speak their language, boss." Fen looked at him scornfully, to which he laughed, and added: "What I mean is, different 'mon have different ways of saying their words. Some try'ta say 'em like this," he said, putting on the Machoke's voice. "Some speak more properly. Anyway, it's not a big deal, it can just make things easier if you follow the way they talk. I've met a few Machoke before."

"Huh, humans have accents and dialects as well," Fen said. "Never thought they would apply to Pokémon."

They reached the woodland described, and Ryu got to work on mining the wood. Fen wasn't sure how much use the axe would be, given it was comparatively tiny compared to the trees, which loomed above them as trees tended to do at their height. It only looked to be made of wood itself, though the head was reinforced with some metal for added durability.

As soon as Ryu started he realised, not for the first time, that he had sorely underrated Pokémon. Ryu's unconventional technique was to hurl himself towards a tree trunk, then slam the axe into it at the very last moment. It generated enough power to knock most of the trees down in two swipes, but it was tiring work, too, especially since the wood needed to be chopped up some more to fit it in the bag. Fen was in charge of picking up the pieces and loading them in, which he thought was the long end of the stick until it came to hauling the wood back into town.

 _At least no one's going to try and bite my arm off today,_ he thought reassuringly.

The wood gathering had been time-consuming, and it was mid-afternoon by the time they finally got back to the group of Machoke. The fighting-type Pokémon showed no signs of physical fatigue, and seemed to relish physical labour just as much as some of the less-built Pokémon helping looked to despise it. With a number of hands already at work, and working much faster than Fen could see themselves doing, they were given the rest of the day off.

* * *

The two of them were taking a break on some steps, when Fen noticed the Quilava he'd seen the day before sitting just across from them. She was chatting casually with a Charmeleon and a Growlithe. He felt compelled to ask her about how she had controlled her fire yesterday lighting the torches, but he hesitated when about to do so.

_Wait, how do I know it's the same Quilava? Wouldn't another Quilava look almost identical?_

He knew though that somehow, it  _was_  the same one.  _Maybe it's her scent or something, or my Chimchar brain can just differentiate better between the same species… oh well. Instincts, my life is in your hands._

"Hey, I'm just gonna talk to someone for a sec," he said to Ryu, who raised his eyebrows in response, before noticing the Quilava he was indicating.

"Good luck," he smiled wryly.

Fen ambled over to them, doing his best to look natural. The Pokémon fell silent as he approached.

"Excuse me, Quilava," he began, remembering how Ryu had addressed other Pokémon simply by their species name. "I happened to see you last night lighting the torches in the town, and I just thought your control of fire was, well, really amazing! So I wondered if…"

She muttered something to her friends, then got up on two feet and motioned to him to move a bit away to somewhere more private. Confused, he did so, then she spoke.

"Chimchar, are you trying to ask me out?"

He froze, mouth open. Of all the responses he'd been preparing in his head, he hadn't planned for  _this!_  It took him a few seconds for him to properly process what she'd said.

"I… no!" he exclaimed. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he tried to put words together. "I was just going to ask for some help… why would you… that wasn't what I meant at all…"

He turned away from the Quilava and started walking away, eager to forget this last minute of his life. What was he thinking, anyway? As if asking a random stranger for help would really lead to–

A flash of white out of the corner of his eye, and then an arm on his shoulder almost made him jump in surprise. He turned around sceptically, and saw the Quilava looking apologetic.

"What?" he asked reluctantly.

"Hey, uh…" the Quilava chuckled awkwardly. "Is it alright if we start again? I'm Cyan." She breathed a small puff of fire into the air.

"I'm… Fen?" he said. Cyan looked expectantly at him. "Uh, are you expecting me to do that too…? What do you think I was just asking for help about?"

Cyan scratched the back of her head, a little taken aback. "Well, you  _were_ wanting help, so I guess I can excuse a lack of Fire greeting..."

Silence for a few seconds. "Were you going to say something?" Fen asked.

"Right." She straightened up. "Sorry about a minute ago. It's been a difficult day… I've been up since before dawn, and you know what it's like when you're sleep deprived."

"I do," he said.

"I made an assumption, but I can see now that you're just looking for help."

"Yeah, I was," Fen murmured, still not wholly won-over. "Can you help me then?"

"I'd like to try at least. But we should head somewhere quieter where we won't disturb anyone. Just… follow me a second."

As they walked, Fen couldn't help contemplating on the exchange with Cyan. He had never entertained any thoughts of romance in the short time he'd been living here, and was conflicted on how he felt about it now.

 _I suppose… it's confusing, being a human and Pokémon at the same time,_ he thought.  _It's obvious why Cyan came to the conclusion she did at first, because that's exactly how I was acting. But was I actually thinking of that at the time? I mean, she is quite pretty I suppose, but–_

_Why am I having these thoughts?! I'm supposed to trying to defend myself better, not get involved in some stupid romance! I've got enough to worry about as it is. And I still need to find out if there's anything to be done about my memories…_

Her voice shook him awake from his daydreams.

"You said your name was Fen?"

"That's right," he said.

"I'm just wondering if that's a reference to your later forms? Mon _fern_ o, In _fern_ ape…?"

"Uh, nothing that interesting, sorry," he replied. "It's just my name." But he thought it a rather strange coincidence how his name might have related to the species.  _It is coincidence, surely?_

"Fair enough," she said. "We have our different naming conventions, after all."

_To me they all just seem like mashed-up versions of your species names, but okay._

"Have you lived here long?" she asked.

"No, only arrived a couple of days ago. We've been staying at Faoz's place."

"Ah yes," she smiled. "I used to light the torches there too. Faoz is a great Pokémon, we're lucky to have her here."

Sanguin Town had a main street that ran straight through the centre of the town, but beyond that there was little evidence that it had been designed to accommodate so many Pokémon. Alleyways spun all over the place from the centre, creating a maze of houses and huts. Fen was glad he had Cyan to guide him, as she led him through a few twists and turns before stopping at a house that was coloured yellow and red, with a peculiar jagged design around the edges.

"Our house," Cyan announced. "Live here with my two brothers and sister. They should all be out at this time, though."

Fen recognised then that the jagged edges represented the way Cyan's body projected fire off her back. He ran his hand down the house's surface curiously; it wasn't made of wood like most of the houses he'd come across so far. He asked Cyan what it was made of.

"Fire clay. Can't be living in a wooden house if you're a Fire 'mon, you see. Need something that won't burn down easily."

"Interesting…" he mused. "But then why aren't all the houses in the town made of clay? It's much sturdier, isn't it?"

"Yes, but clay is harder to sculpt, plus wood is usually still sturdy enough. The weather here is pretty calm and still, aside from what happened this morning. That's why Sanguin's become the biggest town on the island, I suppose." She looked at him oddly, and joked, "Are you an aspiring architect or what?"

"Heh… I'm just curious," Fen replied nervously, not wanting to act unusually.  _Though, learning about Pokémon culture has probably been the best thing to come out of my whole transformation, even if it can seem a little daunting and weird at times…_

She led him inside, through an open living area and then down a set of stairs into a circular basement underground.

"We sleep down here, but it's a good space for sparring too," she explained.

Fen looked around. There were some hay bedrolls laid out on the floor, which Cyan tossed into one corner, but it was otherwise barely decorated.

"Don't you find sleeping down here a bit… uncomfortable?" he asked. "Maybe it's just me…"

"It certainly is you," she grinned. "The underground is the opposite of where you were born and raised, right? So, it's only natural that you would find it a bit unsettling. Sorry, if you wanted to go somewhere else…"

"It's fine," he said quickly. "It's nothing really."

Cyan nodded, satisfied. "So, what did you want to get some advice on?"

Fen thought about it for a second. "I guess… I'm really bad at battling generally. Like practically a newbie. I've used fire a few times, but it's usually been pretty weak and not always accurate. So… not to try and be a nuisance or anything, but could you help with that, first?"

She considered this for a second. "You're very humble," she remarked.

"Huh?" he asked, surprised.

"Most 'mon I've met, especially Fires, always want to big themselves up about how strong they are. They don't tend to be so…negative about their abilities." She laughed. "Anyway, that's beside the point. Of course I can help! You know how breathing fire works, right?"

"Well… not really," he admitted. "I can just kind of feel it in my throat, and then I just breath in and exhale as much as I can. Which isn't much anyway."

"Mm," She nodded. "Do you know where your fire comes from?"

Fen paused, then shook his head.

"In your stomach," she said, gesturing to that area on herself, "there's a burning gas that lights itself whenever you're awake. We call it your inner flame. This is what lights your tail, or for me, lights the spores on my back. It's closely linked with your lungs and throat, since you obviously need that to breathe fire.

"You should probably be aware that, because it's linked to your stomach, the strength of your fire and your general physical strength are closely linked. If you try breathing fire on an empty stomach, you're going to have a hard time, and if you've taken a number of hits in battle already, it's also more difficult to breathe it well. Your fire keeps you warm too, but you should be careful; if you're ever cold enough that your tail's extinguished, you won't be protected any more, and your life will be in danger." She stated that like it was nothing, but it sounded like a scary situation to be in.

 _How does she know all this?_ he wondered.  _Well, since she does, it would be a good time to ask another question that's been in the back of my mind…_

"How come I still need to drink water if I'm powered by fire?" he asked. "That seems a bit paradoxical, no?"

She smirked. "It would make more sense for us to not drink water at all, I agree. But like most other 'mon, we need it for our cells, organs, digestive system – just everything, really. So it's not entirely correct that we're powered by fire, it's more like we're powered by both water  _and_ fire in equal measure."

That raised another question to Fen. "So why does it hurt if I'm hit by water, but just drinking it doesn't hurt?"

"Because your inner flame radiates heat onto your fur, which means any time you come into contact with water, it will sting. The more water hits you, the worse it'll be. When the water's going straight into your mouth that isn't a problem."

He nodded slowly. "I see."

"Any more questions?" she joked.

"Yeah… but I haven't thought of them yet," he quipped back.

"Alright. Let's see what you can do! Just use your fire as if you were attacking."

He frowned. He hadn't given much thought to what he was actually doing when battling. Taking the biggest breath he could manage, he exhaled out, and produced a weak stream of fire. He sighed, frustrated.

Cyan looked at him sympathetically. She thought for a second, before speaking slowly. "That wasn't bad by any means, but there are things you can improve on. When it comes to breathing fire, first of all, you shouldn't waste time breathing in. Using your fire isn't like holding your breath for as long as possible; the key is in exhaling quickly and powerfully. Watch."

Almost before the word had left her mouth, she released a powerful burst of fire, and kept it going for about five seconds before cutting it off.

"See there, I barely had any time to breath in, because that's not important. Your fire is always there in your stomach, it's not as if you need to create it from somewhere. The faster you can exhale, the better, since you need to be able to use your fire in a flash when in battle." She paused for a second. "I just wondered, have you blazed yet?"

"Uh… no?" Fen said, confused at the new term.

She looked at him oddly again. Fen was growing wary of the look by now.

"Well, if you had I think you'd know about it," she said, before raising her energy. "Now have a go at inhaling quickly, then exhaling powerfully. And if you think you're going to run out of breath, keep going anyway! Trust me."

Fen tried to do what she said, and the strength of his fire was hardly different from before. As his lungs started straining, which was only after a second, he kept going and surprised himself with how long he was able to continue with seemingly nothing to go on. Soon afterwards though, he was forced to cut the fire short, and panted for air.

"Hey, not bad!" Cyan called encouragingly. "The more you practice, the longer you'll be able to breathe for, obviously."

When Fen had recovered enough, he asked, "Do you have any other tips?"

Cyan frowned. "Well… that's all I've got in terms of breathing fire. I'm not sure I can easily describe how to perform specific attacks of mine, and even if I could, I'm unsure whether you'd be able to perform them too. Different species are quite confusing in that respect."

Fen knew exactly what she meant, and wasn't surprised. "So I just need to have more battles and eventually things will magically fall into place?" he guessed.

"You should  _learn_ the best ways of doing things, yes," Cyan laughed. "But you're right, that's really all there is to it, in regard to using stronger fire attacks. What do you say we have a fight right now?"

"What?! But it'll be no match!" Fen protested.

Cyan rolled her eyes. "I'll go easy on you, obviously," she said. "Come on, I just told you how to improve! Are you going to ignore it?"

"Well… okay, I'll do it," he sighed. Cyan hadn't really given him a choice.

He began to crouch himself on all-fours but before he'd even done that, a paw came out and scratched him harshly across the face, knocking him away.

"What...!" he spluttered. "I didn't say I was ready!"

She got up and shrugged, smiling. "Okay, another tip would be to always be alert, even before you start fighting. 'Mon will do anything to try and get an upper hand on you in battle; you must have recognised that already."

He thought back to the Rattata biting his arm from the day before. "Mm, okay," he agreed.

He quickly shifted back into a battle stance and lunged at Cyan, attempting to catch  _her_  off guard. Not to his surprise though, she saw the scratch coming and easily spun out of the way. As he turned to face her again he saw her body begin to glow, and with a flick of a paw, a barrage of star-shaped pieces of energy flew in his direction. He watched for a moment, startled at the nature of this new attack, then tried to get out of the way, but it was in vain as the stars seemed to follow his dive across. He yelped in pain as they pierced his body, though they were more irritating than painful.

Given her speed, he concluded that physical attacks weren't the best idea, so instead fired an ember at her, which she didn't attempt to avoid. He assumed she'd been waiting for him to try it.

In response, the fire spores on her back expanded to form a ring around her body, and she charged at him, again too fast to avoid. She tackled him, engulfing them both in flames. It hurt, but in a strange kind of pain, as he enjoyed the feeling of fire. However, this sensation of it was just  _too_ strong, like his body was being overheated. The flames flickered for a few seconds on his body, as if it were deciding whether this new fire was a good thing or not, before it extinguished.

 _What move was that?!_ he thought in amazement. He had been in awe of Cyan before with her control of fire; now though the feeling was even stronger, and it motivated him to fight back. Undeterred by his injuries, he flew at her again.

* * *

The time sailed by as they fought each other almost without rest. They were eventually interrupted when another Quilava poked their head into the basement. Fen saw him and hesitated, which Cyan quickly picked up on.

"You're back early, Typh," she said after catching her breath.

"Yeah, didn't feel up for doing much today, probably cause of that earthquake earlier," the male Quilava said. He nodded his head in Fen's direction. "Who's this?" he asked, amused. "I could hear some crashing from upstairs…"

Cyan gestured for Fen to come nearer. "This is Fen. He asked me for some tips on using fire, so that's what we've been doing. Fen, this is my brother Typh."

"Pleased to meet ya," Typh smiled, before practically blasting the space between them with fire. Fen attempted to do the same, but his fire was far inferior.

"And you," he muttered to Typh. He glanced between Typh and Cyan uneasily. "I should probably be going then…"

Cyan shrugged. "I don't mind. I can show you out."

Typh stayed in the basement as they ascended back up the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, Cyan spoke. "Fen, I hope you don't mind me asking, but some of the things you've told me have left me a little confused about you."

Fen stumbled on a step in panic. "What do you mean?" he asked casually.

"Well," she said, "you say you've only been here a few days, so I assume you're hatched someplace else, and went on a little journey to reach here."

"Yes…" Fen said cautiously.

"You're certainly civilised, which means you must have had parents to bring you up, or a similar alternative. What I don't get is why you were unaware of everything I talked about today! You didn't know where your fire actually came from, were unsure of the actual  _process_ you take to breathe fire… you didn't know why we drink water! Do you see what I mean? It seems impossible that a 'mon could arrive here with such little understanding of his own body. I'm not attacking you or anything; I really like you, Fen, but it worries me. Did something bad happen to you? Or your family, perhaps?"

He stopped walking, and met Cyan's gaze with his own, fortunate that she had been walking on all-fours at a height closer to his. Her eyes were glimmering, with genuine concern, he thought. It was the second time someone had figured out there was a something wrong with him after Ryu; he wondered if any Pokémon would start to see it if they spent enough time with him. He couldn't feel angry at Cyan for purely showing concern for him, though. He didn't like the idea of spinning a complex lie about his situation to her, and even if he'd wanted to, he had no ideas for one that might be believable. That said, she hadn't clocked that he might not even  _be_ a Pokémon, so he didn't have to go that far. He decided to improvise a little.

"Yeah, something bad happened," he said. "Three days ago I woke up in a forest not too far from here. I don't have any personal recollection of my past, and some of my other memories were hit too. I didn't know how to use any of my attacks, for example, and while I woke up in that forest, I didn't know where I was, or have any idea of direction on this whole island. I probably would still be lost there, or be dying of starvation, but I happened to meet Ryu, this Riolu, by chance when I was searching for shelter. I told him about my memory, he took me with him and we've been together ever since."

The thoughts had been whirling around his head, but it still felt strange to get them out in the open.  _Would I be dead by now?_ he thought.  _Did Ryu really save my life? Does he realise how much I owe him…?_ They scared him to think about.

Cyan looked at him for a long time, sadness etched over her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered eventually.

Fen shrugged sombrely, unsure what to say. Cyan went on.

"I really wish I could tell you that there's some way to get your memories back, but I don't know of one. Pokémon can do some very powerful things, but to have control over one's memories? I've never heard of something like it…"

 _At least I have an answer to that question,_ he thought miserably. "You don't need to apologise," he said. "I didn't have a whole lot of hope for my memories anyway."

There was unbroken silence for a while, before Cyan said, "Judging by your reaction earlier, I'm going to guess that you don't want everyone to know this about your memory."

 _Oh… you only know half the story,_ he thought. Still, he was intrigued.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "You're right, of course."

"Okay, listen up for a second." She took a hold of his arm to secure his attention. "I was hatched and raised on the outskirts of Arkan Volcano, which is quite a way south from here."

"There's a volcano here?"

"Yes," she said simply. "It's a natural habitat for land-dwelling, fire-breathers like you and I. That's where I assume you grew up, too. So if someone asks where you were hatched from, or some variation on that…"

"I tell them I was hatched there," he finished.

She smiled. "Exactly, no one's going to question that. And you know the Fire greeting I showed you earlier, and what my brother did? Just introduce yourself like that, whenever you meet another Fire." She scratched her neck. "I can't think of anything else you need to know right now."

"I think I know the answers to most of life's fundamental questions, after today," he joked weakly. "I don't think anyone will think there's something up with me, as long as I keep those sorts of questions to myself."

"Or just ask me!" she said. They reached her front door, which operated without a handle. She nudged it open with her snout, despite having hands available. "I'll be here when it's dark, or you can find me lighting the torches just before then."

He nodded. "Thank you so much," he said genuinely. "I don't want to task you with any more questions, but this one is important: how do I get back to the guild from here?"

She laughed. "Asking directions is a  _normal_  question, especially in this town." Once she directed him, he thanked her again, and they said goodbye for the night. Fen hoped he would see her again.

* * *

He found Ryu sitting on the grass just outside the guild, fiddling with the metallic bump on the back of his hand.

"Took you long enough," he grinned when he saw Fen.

"You really didn't have to wait for me," Fen said.

"Nah, it's fine. You're not too late for dinner." He led them in, and they took up their usual place at the miniature Pokémon's table.

"So, what were up to for so long?" Ryu asked. When Fen didn't respond, he waved a paw in front of his face impatiently. "Yo!"

Fen looked up dreamily. "Sorry," he muttered. "Just been thinking about what Cyan told me."

"Cyan?"

"The Quilava."

"Oh…! So what happened there…?" Ryu asked mischievously. Fen knew what he was suggesting, that he  _liked_ her or something, but he quickly shrugged it off.

"It's not what you're thinking," he sighed. "I asked her for some help on breathing fire, then we went to her house, she showed me a couple of things, told me a  _lot_ of useful information about Fire Pokémon, and then… we spent hours fighting each other." He frowned. It felt strange to think about those hours spent now. "But eventually I told her about my memory situation, and she said that… she'd never heard of any Pokémon getting their memories completely wiped, and so didn't know of any way I could get them back. Looks like that's a dead end for me."

"Oh… sorry, 'mon," Ryu said. He looked put out. "Are… you alright?"

Fen smiled sadly.  _I'm glad he's worried about me. I don't want to dim his mood by acting miserable, though..._

"Don't apologise," he found himself repeating. "But I'm okay, I think. I've lived like this for 3 days now… I'm starting to get the hang of things. And it's pretty shit that I've had this amnesia and all, but I can't seem to do much about it. No point wallowing in self-pity."

 _Though, it is taking a pretty monumental effort not to,_ he thought. His words wanted to convince himself as much as anything.

"It's so strange, this amnesia," he muttered. "I know that my mind wasn't completely wiped, because I can still remember Pokémon species, objects, concepts like time, money, etcetera. But anything personal to me, it just seems gone. I even forgot my own name, until you asked me about it." He checked Ryu's blank expression. "I don't know, it just helps to say these things out loud sometimes. I'm not expecting you to help."

"I wish I  _could_  help…" Ryu said quietly. After some hesitation, he asked, "What d'you want to do now?"

"…What do you mean?" Fen said.

"Are you going to stay here?" He frowned. "You said that your first goal was to try and get your memories back."

"Oh… yeah," Fen murmured. "I… don't know. I'm still a bit scared of the world out  _there_ , to be honest. I don't trust myself to succeed in fighting anything… at least not without your help."

Ryu chuckled. "You're not  _that_ bad. You're trying, at least."

Even though he was sure it was just a throwaway comment, Ryu's sentiment couldn't help making Fen smile. "I'll give it some thought, anyway. Do… you have any ideas on what you'll do?"

Ryu considered. "Uh…" his expression seemed to darken for a second, as if remembering a bad thought, before he shook his head.

"What?" Fen asked suspiciously.

"Sorry," Ryu said quickly. "I mean, I'm happy to stay here for now. It's cool exploring the world around here, don't you think?"

"Well… okay," Fen agreed tiredly. Ryu's concerned look for him returned at that, so he felt compelled to add, "Look, don't worry about me. I'm not going to run away in the night or anything. I'm not that insane."

"I don't know..." Ryu shrugged. "Being a walking torch would make that a very viable option."

"Well, my tail flame's not  _that_ strong," he said, then paused. "Hey, I'm not a walking torch!"

Ryu chuckled. "Just telling you what it looks like…"

"Great, thanks for the confidence boost. Can we go to bed?"

Ryu nodded, and hopped down from the table. "Maybe you'll get enough sleep tonight."

"Nah, something'll wake us up in the night again," he joked. "Just gotta try and get as much sleep in before then."

* * *

 

Fen wasn't entirely wrong.

He was drifting into sleep, his breathing slow, conscious thoughts gradually fading away, tail flame getting weaker… when…

_….!_

He felt it again. A sudden rush of emotion. And it was stronger than before; he was panting, senses on high alert, and had to battle fiercely with himself to calm down. After all, he told himself, there was no danger in this room. He passed his hands through his tail flame almost automatically, since he'd worked out that it helped soothe him.

 _This again?_ he thought, sitting up. Then he groaned quietly, feeling his head pound in complaint. For a few moments he could do nothing more than wait for the pain to subside.  _That's the second time this has happened, just before I fall asleep… and it was stronger this time. But what is it? It's like a thought, or feeling. It didn't communicate with any words, but it was trying to convey a message… some sort of fear… that's what it gave me the first time, too._

_Fear of what though? I can't tell… these emotions come at me so strongly, yet the moment I become aware of them and wake up… they vanish._

He sighed, and squinted at the darkened room.  _What do I do? It's too late to wake anyone. These things don't seem to be harming me beyond the moment they happen… but they're so strange! Would anyone know what I'm talking about if I tried to explain? How_ would  _I explain?_

_Ugh… I guess I'll just leave it for now…_

After a few minutes, his breathing had returned to normal, and his headache subsided quickly. It didn't take much for him to finally drift off. He didn't experience the feeling again.


	6. Illusions

The following day appeared to be business as usual, as far as their temporary work was concerned. The Machoke builders had done a remarkable job in repairing the damaged homes, taking barely more than the one day to get them rebuilt. The guild could get back to being what it was meant for.

Taluk, the Electabuzz chief, had emerged in the morning after the earthquake, and he emphasised Faoz's message of caution to all civilians, without giving much in the way of details. The cause of the earthquake appeared to be unknown, but no further tremors had since been reported.

Their mission today turned out to be routine – delivering a shipment of berries to a nearby town – but it had paid better than their previous letter delivery. Once the reward had been collected and halved with Buin at the guild, they found themselves with 400 poké in their possession. Ryu was keen to see what they could buy in town, so they set off for the market in the early evening.

Fen had been in a half-distracted state all-day, and as they walked, he felt as if he had forgotten something important. But unable to recall anything, he tried to force the worry out of his head, until Ryu spoke up.

"D'you think that Absol we saw was warning us about the earthquake here?"

He froze. How could that event have slipped his mind? It was on the very first night he'd been a Chimchar, and met Ryu… but it  _had_  happened. The Absol had gone to a crater, and cried at them, at the whole forest, trying to warn them of something, he presumed.

"I… suppose it must have been," he said eventually. "The earthquake happened, what, two nights after we heard its cry? It would make sense."

"It doesn't matter now though, right?" Ryu said breezily. "If whatever it was warning us of has already happened, that whole matter's over."

Fen hesitated to agree, and Ryu looked at him questioningly.

"You're probably right," he replied uncertainly.

In truth, he wouldn't have been able to explain his uneasiness even if he'd tried. Something about the events didn't sit right with him. But why? It was something intuitive, much like that rush of emotion he'd had the previous night in the guild.  _That_  had been on his mind all day, but he hadn't been able to make any more sense of it than at the time. He hadn't managed to mention it to Ryu yet either…

"Fen!"

A familiar bark from beside him, and an unsubtle nudge brought him back to reality. "You were gone again," Ryu sighed, as if he'd said the same thing hundreds of times. "Did you hear what I was asking at all?"

"Huh? What?" Fen spluttered.

"I was saying… do you actually know where we're going?" he said wearily. "Because I don't have a clue."

"No, I…" Fen stopped as he saw something familiar in the distance. "Hey, is that Savi?"

The Ivysaur was ahead of them, shuffling in the opposite direction. He glanced up and saw the two of them approaching, but looked strangely forlorn. Fen was taken by surprise, and hurriedly adjusted what he was going to say in greeting.

"Hey Savi… is everything alright?"

"Hi guys." Savi shifted uncomfortably. "I'm fine, it's just, uh… you remember my partner Lucxa?"

"Yeah, the Luxio."

"Right. The thing is… ever since that earthquake happened, he just hasn't been the same. It's not like his personality's changed or anything, he just seems to be really… shaken up. It's not really gone away with time, so we both decided earlier that he should stay with his family in town for a while, just until he gets better. That's where I've just been."

"Why's he gotten so worried?" Ryu asked, not too harshly. "The earthquake wasn't that bad, was it? It would make sense for him to feel it worse, being an Electric, but…"

"Yeah. I'm not too sure why. I suppose tremors like that are so rare around here, maybe he wasn't…" he trailed off, and made an effort to brighten up. "I don't know. Anyway, where are you guys off to?"  
"We're looking to spend some of  _this_ ," Ryu said, shaking their bag of poké proudly. His head dropped a little shamefully afterwards. "Though, neither of us have been through this part of town before. We're not sure what we're doing…"

"Oh! I'll show you around then," Savi said, jumping at the opportunity he himself had invented. "It's just on this path…"

They soon arrived on what was the town's equivalent of a high street, though the buildings present were built more around the presence of trees and shrubbery, in keeping with the rest of town. It was another nod to the dedication to nature the town's inhabitants seemed to value.

"The market is a little further down here, but I'll show you these buildings anyway, in case you need them," Savi explained.

He gave them a quick tour of the area. There was a money and item storage; a house-building service that was empty, presumably due to the earthquake-induced excess in demand; a café-type building that was stylishly decorated with murals of various Pokémon battling each other; a shop selling various types of travel bags…

_This town is pretty impressive,_ Fen thought.  _Even if the rest of the island seems rather… underdeveloped. I suppose Pokémon if like being close to nature, it's not such a problem for them._

Beyond these services, Savi led them into an open square, where there was a small market set up, mostly selling fruits and vegetables. Three Vigoroth were scampering around, grabbing goods that customers requested and exchanging money with an energy that seemed unstoppable to quell. It was busier than any other business Fen had seen in the town, which Savi put down to the monopoly it had over 'pure' food.

"'Pure' food?" Fen queried.

"Foods that are useful only for  _being_ food," Savi explained. "So not healing berries and the like. They do sell the more basic ones like cheris, but the best berries are a bit pricier, and aren't sold here. I think it's the store on the end that does…"

The shop hanging on the end of the square looked little more than a counter with a canopy over it, and a small hut situated further inside. Much more interesting were the goods on display, none of them looking at all recognisable to Fen, other than the very distinct blue of oran berries.

"Whoa… what is  _this_ stuff?" Ryu asked excitedly, instantly going over and gazing intently at the items on show. However, his enthusiasm faded a moment later when he noticed the lack of movement on the other side of the counter. A Linoone was slumped against a door a little further into the canopy, eyed closed and mouth open, apparently dosing.

Ryu, unsure what else to do, thumped the bumpy back of his paw against the counter, producing a harmonic  _clink._ At this, the Linoone quickly blinked his eyes open and sidled over to them.

"Uh, good evening lads," he said. "How can I help?"

_So… he must own this shop…_  Fen felt very confused at the Linoone's behaviour, and couldn't resist asking: "Did you mean to be asleep just now?"

The Linoone shrugged. "Tiring work, this. Most of my customers know me well, so just give me a knock if I'm dosing off."

"You're not worried that, say… someone might steal the things you've left here?"

"Ha! You underestimate me, Chimchar," the Linoone grinned. He picked up one of the berries and gave it a squeeze. Nothing happened. "The goods you see here are all fakes; they're just there to show what I'm selling. The good stuff's kept in my home. And in the unlikely event that I  _am_ asleep, I'll be in front of the door anyway."

Fen didn't have a retort for that, so the Linoone asked again. "Can I help with anything?"

The shopkeeper's behaviour hadn't seemed to have put Ryu off, but he struggled to think of an answer to the vague question. "I just… I've never seen any of these items before! What is this place? Could you just… uh-"

"Run through them?" the Linoone offered, smiling. "Yeah, I get asked that a lot. This is 'Scout's Explorers Store', as I like to call it."

"Scout?" Ryu questioned. "That's you?"

"Mm. Not my hatch name, more of a nickname that I've picked up over the years. It sounds better in a title, anyway. Here, I sell anything I've gathered on my travels that I think's worth something. If that sounds like I deal in antiques, you'd be  _wrong_ , and probably very confused at what you see here. So, let's start with the least exciting stuff."

He perched awkwardly on his hind legs as he pointed to a cluster of different berries. "Here we've got your orans, leppas, lums,  _would_ have sitruses if I could ever get my hands on them… they're about as rare as a friendly Dark, though. I've got plenty of the other berries."

Scout shuffled across a little to a jumble of multiple seeds, and pulled out a handful of them for Ryu and Fen to see properly. "You've probably come across seeds before, but you might not have seen all of these."

He pointed out each of them as he explained. "You've got your energy seed, which is like a condensed oran berry, and your heal seed, which seems to do the same job as a lum. Fairly straightforward there. A quick seed, which is exactly what it sounds like. Similarly with stun seeds and sleep seeds, just break 'em open for their effect. Blast seeds, which explode when broken into. Don't mistake them for food! And maybe the scariest of all… the violent seed. Best saved for desperate situations… and when you don't care too much for your opponent's safety."

He swept the fake seeds aside and moved on to some different coloured pieces of fabric.

"Scarves. There are some  _normal_ scarves out there"- he said the word with obvious disgust – "but all the ones sold here have a special enchantment attached with them. I'm yet to find a scarf that literally turns you into a living Arceus, but together, they have a lot of uses. Like, this one makes you hit harder, this one lets you  _take_  more hits, this one gives you a kind of 40-40 vision to incoming attacks, this one keeps out fatigue for longer…" He paused for breath. "They're quite confusing things, and very rare, so you're welcome to "try before you buy"; though that only applies to the scarves. Everything else I sell has a one-time use."

Scout appeared to have finished explaining, and looked at them expectantly, as if they'd fully understood his quickfire summary.

"Sorry, I just can't believe this," Fen blurted. "How come we've never come across any of these items on our travels? Enchanted scarves? How is that possible?!"

Scout looked at him amusedly for a second. "Well, I have a bit of a knack for finding these things," he said elusively, dodging Fen's other question.

Fen just stared at him. Was he supposed to accept that as a good reason?

"About seeds…" Scout went on, "you must've noticed there are seeds growing everywhere in Kyunn, but most of them are what I call 'plain seeds'; they don't have any effect. If you want to find the rare ones yourself, I'd suggest you remember what they look like, and search around, scavenge, like you've never done before. And as for scarves… their origins are still a bit of a mystery. I've just happened to pick them up on my adventuring. And  _trust me_ when I say that I'm good at finding them. Finding things is pretty much all I can do, aside from run fast."

Fen was still a little mystified at the abundance of treasures the Linoone apparently had at his disposal, but trusted that Scout was at least giving them a rough form of the truth. Ryu spoke next: "So… we've got 400 poke right now. What does that get us?"

"Ah… this stuff doesn't come cheap," Scout frowned. "The seeds come at 500 each as a minimum, while the scarves tend to go for around 5000. All I can sell you are berries. I normally price them at 250 a pop, but as you're so skint… I could do two for 400."

They both balked at the figures, even accounting for them being reduced.  _Savi wasn't wrong about these things being pricey…_

Fen glanced at Ryu sceptically. "How much do you value these berries?" he asked, lowering his voice despite being sure Scout could hear him. "I'm not sure we should be splurging all our money on them."

Ryu shrugged. "What else do we need to buy? We get enough food at the guild, and you can normally forage for anything extra during the day…"

"Could we get one oran and one lum berry?" he asked Scout, taking Fen's pause to mean agreement.

Fen couldn't argue with his reasoning, but naturally felt a tinge of anxiety at being left with 0 poke in their bank. "What's a lum berry do?" he muttered to Ryu.

"Hmm… like an oran berry, but for different… ailments? Like if you're paralysed, or poisoned, or some other thing. They're pretty useful."

Fen nodded. "Fair enough."

"Do you lads work for that guild place?" Scout asked, as he was storing their payment.

"Yeah, we started recently," Ryu said. "How'd you know?"

"Just a guess," Scout shrugged. "Anyway, if you're taking on jobs, how about you help me out with something? I was travelling around the forests just north-west of here, in a place called Hidden Wood, when I lost one of these scarves of mine. I can't go looking for it now, what with having to run the shop all week. If you can find it for me, I'll give you a pretty special reward… at least, I hope it's special."

Ryu's eyes had already lit up at Scout's mention of a reward, cryptic as that was, but Fen still found himself reluctant to trust him. "You  _just_ lost it?" he asked cynically.

"Afraid so," Scout frowned. "Truth is, my bag was too full, and it must've fallen out of the top when I was coming out of the woods. I only noticed when I stopped to get a drink." At Fen's suspicious look, he added, "You ever seen our species run? Once we get going, nothing's stopping us. I wouldn't have noticed it hitting the ground."

"He is right, Fen," Ryu added. "Linoone are rapid." Scout smiled gleefully at that.

Even if Scout was to be trusted, there was something else bothering him. "And what about the woods itself? Is it a hostile place?"

Scout thought seriously for a second. "No, but do you have a map I can use?"

Ryu promptly pulled theirs out. Scout examined it closely, then dipped one of his claws in some ink and drew, with a surprising level of precision, a small circle around an area split between two mountains.

"I thought your map might not have it inscribed, so here's the wood's rough location, just in this valley. Quite off the beaten track, but you shouldn't miss it. As for the wood itself… it's pretty quiet. You might disturb some Zubat if you're too loud, but with the three of you, there should be no problem."

"Three of us…?" Ryu glanced behind him, and found Savi had been waiting patiently for them to finish. At his gaze, he looked up questioningly. "Oh no, he's not with-"

"Whoa, whoa," Fen interrupted. "Just give us a second." Scout nodded in understanding.

"We should ask Savi if he wants to go with us!" Fen muttered. "Surely three of us would be stronger than two?"

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "I don't know…"

The reluctance to put faith in Savi puzzled Fen. "Surely there's nothing wrong with having an extra person on our side?" he asked. "Plus, Savi's lost his usual partner for now, and looked pretty down when he saw us… I just think it's the right thing to do, maybe to cheer him up a bit."

Ryu opened his mouth for a second to offer some other retort, but quickly decided against it. "Alright. Let's ask him."

They motioned Savi over, and Fen asked him if he'd like to come along.

"Hey, I'd love to!" Savi smiled. "Hopefully I can be helpful in some way."

_Yeah…_ Fen thought.  _Maybe I should wait before telling him that I'm terrible at fighting._

"Is everything I've said clear?" Scout asked them, once they gave their consent to the job.

"Yeah!" Ryu said, without waiting for a response. "This should be great!"

Fen found himself unable to resist a smile at Ryu's antics. "You really want this reward," he muttered dryly. Ryu shot him an annoyed look, but he couldn't exactly deny it.

After they gave their approval to Scout, the shopkeeper deftly scribbled down some details on paper with one of his paws for Ryu to take back. He instructed them to hand it to Faoz, so it would function the same way as a mission that would go through the guild first.

* * *

"Those things that Scout called scarves… I've never seen anything like it before," Ryu was saying, as they ambled back from the market. Savi had stayed behind to do some shopping of his own, and needed to withdraw money too, so the two of them had agreed to link up again with him in the morning. "You ever heard of 'em, Fen?"

"Mm," Fen hummed as a 'yes'. "In winter, scarves are really popular with humans. But they're mainly just to protect against the cold, certainly not to give any of those enchantments Scout was talking about."

"Huh… but they protect you against the cold?" Ryu queried. "So that is an enchantment in some way…"

Fen shook his head, chuckling. "Wrap anything around you and it'll have the same effect. I don't think humans saw their regular old scarves as anything magical just for keeping the wind out."

Just then, his ears pricked up at something close-by. He was still getting used to all his body's sensations, but he felt it had sensed a movement behind him, and quickly darted his eyes around. The streets were mostly empty this late, with only a couple of other figures visible to him, about 20 yards away. But for his ears to react, he assumed it must have been a sudden movement, which confused him.

"Fen?" Ryu enquired.

He took one more look around, then shook his head and resumed walking. "Just thought I heard something."

Barely a few seconds later, he stopped once more upon hearing a dull padding of footsteps that certainly was behind them. He was surprised at the owner, though: it was Savi again.

"Hey," Savi said briefly to them, before turning to Fen. "Could I speak with you in private, quickly? It won't take long."

His voice sounded strangely off to Fen, but he couldn't pin down how exactly why; it was just slightly different from usual. The sentences were rather chopped up, too.

"Uh…" Fen couldn't think of a reason why not. "Sure. Ryu, I'll… see you later?"

Ryu hesitated for a moment, eyeing up Savi cautiously. "Yeah… alright," he said eventually. "See ya later." He gave Fen a friendly thump on the back, then set off towards the guild.

Fen turned back to face Savi.  _What could he possibly want? There's no way he could have figured out I'm a human, or even that I've lost my memory, is there…? Maybe I'm being paranoid…_

"Just come with me for a second," Savi told him, a hint of anxiety in his voice, which troubled Fen even more. Savi led him down a deserted alley just off the main street they were on, leading out of town through a woodland area. The combination of the dim, cramped alleyway, the eerie silence of this part of town and Savi's own behaviour eventually was too much for Fen to handle, and he finally spoke up.

"Savi, what's the problem?" he asked as friendlily as he could, when they were halfway down the alley.

Savi stopped, facing away from him. He briefly checked the surroundings around them, then out of nothing, he turned and his whole form seemed to change; a shadowy fist leapt out at Fen, punching him in the stomach with such force that he couldn't even cry in pain, all the air immediately sucked out of him. Before he could react, the figure tackled him to the ground and kept him there, pinning his legs and lower body to the floor with two paws, claws bared.

He could barely move under the creature's weight, but managed to lift his head enough to get a good look at his captor. It stood on four legs, with the front two used to hold him down. It was dark grey in colour, with tufts of reddish fur in places. Its eyes blazed with a wild fury, and the Pokémon's two fangs were bared aggressively at him. He was struck by how small a figure it looked – it seemed to be roughly equal in height to him, if just a little taller. That made the force of its attack all the more shocking.

_This didn't make sense!_ Hadn't he been talking to Savi barely a second ago? He didn't recognise this Pokémon, but it was certainly a different species to an Ivysaur. So how had it-

The Pokémon interrupted his train of thought abruptly. "Who are you?" she demanded – for though it was hoarsely spoken, fangs still bared, there was no doubt the voice was female. "No-one here knows anything of humans, other than that they exist in another land. So how do you know about them?"

_What?! How did she realise I knew…_ Fen tried to speak, but couldn't manage a single word before he broke into a fit of smoky coughs. He was still winded from the punch to his abdomen. The grey Pokémon scowled and turned her head away, but didn't loosen her hold on him, only patiently waiting for the coughs to subside.

He tested his voice again when he felt ready, but he could only manage a croaky whisper. His anxiety rose another level when he realised he wouldn't be able to cry for help, at least not for a minute or two. All he could do instead was concentrate on the Pokémon's question.

_How did he know about humans…?_   _How am I supposed to answer that? Who is this Pokémon anyway?_

"Savi…?" he whispered hesitantly. "Are you-"

"Ugh _,_ the green plant isn't me…" the Pokémon snapped. "Now answer my question. Who are you? Did you come from human lands?"

Fen stared at her incredulously. If he wasn't so terrified, and short of breath, he would be bursting with questions to ask. "I… I think so?" he said uncertainly.

The Pokémon pressed down harder on his legs, and bared her fangs again. "What do you mean?!" she demanded. "You either are from there or you aren't!"

Fen tried to shake his head, but barely had the ability to do so. "I don't know… I lost my memories…"

The Pokémon now looked at him in bemusement. "You lost your memories," she repeated, "but you  _think_ you came from human lands?"

Fen managed to jerk his head in agreement.

"You don't know how you got  _here,_  then?" she asked.

Fen shook his head again.

"And you don't know who I am? You're not  _looking_  for me, at all?" She paused for a second, before muttering, "What you asked proves that, anyway…"

"Please believe me," Fen gasped, "I have no idea who you are,  _what_ you are, and I'm certainly not looking for you... just don't hurt me…"

The Pokémon looked set to loosen her constraint for a second, then did so, but only very slightly. It did allow Fen to get some precious air flowing through his lungs. "You haven't explained how you know anything about humans," she pressed. "Or were you just spouting bullshit to your friend a moment ago?"

_Didn't I just imply that I didn't know how?!_ he thought frantically.  _I doubt she'd be happy if I told her that again. But if I told her I was a human… would she even believe that? It might sound even more absurd…_

His gut was telling him that this Pokémon, crazy as it was acting, might be able to help him somehow. It clearly had a connection with the human world, which, while he hadn't been able to be too direct in his efforts to search for, was now very much interested in. He swallowed, trying not to think about the implications of his decision, and began speaking.

"The truth is… I'm a-"

He broke off abruptly, as he heard a faint call of "Fen!" in the distance - several calls in fact, from different voices. The cries were followed up with the thudding of several sets of feet. The grey Pokémon must have heard it too, as she immediately loosened her hold on him, and glanced around anxiously. Fen was still pinned down, unable to turn his head enough to see.

The sound of footsteps intensified. "Hey, he's here! Quick!"  _Ryu's voice!_

The grey Pokémon must have seen something at the end of the alley, as she muttered a curse. She gave Fen one last look, a mixture of anger at being caught, but also curiosity at what he had told her. Then, as he was about to make a move, Fen gasped: "Wait! I have to talk to you again… we might help each other… we have something in common, at least…"

The faintest of smiles flickered across her face, but it quickly gave way to a cold scowl. "Well, I'm sure we'll meet again," she muttered.

With that, she galloped off in the opposite direction, into the woodland area out of town. Finally able to sit up, Fen saw Ryu and an Electabuzz running in his direction. Savi was also following close behind. The Electabuzz barked at the other two to stay with him, as he dashed past Fen into the trees, searching for his attacker.

"Fen!" Ryu exclaimed, grabbing his arm. "Are you alright? Who was that?"

Fen looked at him helplessly, and squeaked: "Could you just help me up for a second?"

Ryu put one hand behind Fen's back and used the other to pull his arm up. He managed to get in an upright position, but cried out in pain the moment he tried to put weight down on his legs. They weren't broken, but had been crushed under the grey Pokémon's weight for a long time.

"Give him a berry, quick!" Ryu shouted to Savi, who quickly pulled out an oran berry from his own bag and passed it over. Fen wasn't able to enjoy it quite as much as when he ate his first one, but he still sighed in relief as the pain in his legs was numbed, enough for him to stand unsteadily.

He wiped his eyes, conscious that they were wet. He had previously wondered whether his species was able to cry or not, but this looked like evidence for the former, even if he hadn't been aware of it in the moment. "How did you find me?" he eventually asked.

"Well, I started walking off when you left with Savi, but I got suspicious and decided to retrace my steps. That's when I ran into Savi going the other way up the path. I asked him where you were, and he said he hadn't spoken to you at all… that's when I got really worried, so we started calling your name on every side-street. Then Taluk heard, and he started looking as well, and eventually we saw you here…"

"Oh, this doesn't make any sense!" Savi cried suddenly. He looked upset from the events, too. "I didn't attack you Fen, so who was it on top of you? I never even saw you back there…"

"Look, I don't know!" Fen said, equally exasperated. "She had your appearance Savi, but she suddenly changed shape to that Pokémon you saw, and before I could react I was pinned on the floor! That's not normal, is it? But it's what I saw happen…"

Just then, the Electabuzz re-emerged from the woodland, swearing furiously and looking generally disgruntled. Fen realised that this must be Taluk, the police chief.

He muttered, "I don't know how they did it, but I couldn't find that thug anywhere. Looks like they've escaped." He turned to Fen, and quickly introduced himself. "Did you know the species of that thing?"

"No idea," Fen said.

"Me neither," the Electabuzz frowned. "Your friend Riolu here says he saw you walking off with an Ivysaur. But it wasn't the one standing here? Was it another attacker disguised?"

Fen spoke reluctantly: "No, there was only one attacker… it seemed to disguise itself as another Pokémon, as Savi, which was how I got caught off-guard."

Taluk's tiny black eyes widened at the description. "Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"That's all I saw," Fen said.

Taluk scratched his head. "That's very peculiar, but anyway… one more question: do you know why you were targeted? Anything the attacker said to you?"

"No," Fen said quickly. "She was pretty incoherent with what she was saying, so I couldn't make out anything. Sorry."

Taluk nodded gravely. "Not a problem. Come by the police base if there's anything else you remember that you think might be useful. Will you be all right making it back home?"

"Yeah, we've got him," Ryu said. Fen nodded in agreement, thanking Taluk, and they walked back up to the main street of town before going their separate ways.

Ryu put an arm around his shoulders and neck to hold him up for the walk back, despite him not really needing it, while Savi also hung close to support him if needed. It made him more at ease, but only a little. The previous events were spinning frantically in his head, trying to be made sense of.

* * *

"Hey, Fen," Ryu said, as they were eating back in the guild. "There was something I meant to show ya earlier, but forgot about. Wanna see it now?"

Fen looked at him, puzzled. Ryu gave him one back that seemed to say  _"just trust me on this, yeah?"_

After what had just happened, his suspicions were on high alert.  _Could this be that Pokémon again…? Well, if it is, she's done a fine Ryu impression…_

"Okay," he said to Ryu, feeling confident that he could be trusted. He gave a quick 'see ya' to Savi before following Ryu out to the grass just outside the guild's main entrance, and after Ryu sat down, he did likewise.

"Ay, there isn't actually anything to show you here," Ryu apologised, before he could ask. "But it's about what you said to Taluk earlier… were you hiding something?"

Fen's eyes widened, and he looked at Ryu with some amazement. "You… are very perceptive," he found himself saying again.

Ryu laughed gleefully, and Fen continued.

"Anyway, there  _was_  a reason why that Pokémon attacked me," he sighed. "She heard me mention, uh…"

Out of new-found suspicion, he glanced around quickly to make sure no-one else was listening. "You know… the thing I am. Not that I  _was_ one, but just the mentioning of them. Presumably she heard when we were talking on the way back from the market square."

Ryu blinked at him, and lowered his voice in keeping with Fen's behaviour. "She attacked you because you mentioned… humans? That's all it was?"

"I think so."

"What did she have against them?"

"Well… she didn't say explicitly what, but demanded to know if I was searching for her, or something. She asked if I came from the 'human lands', too..."

"What did you say?"

Fen grimaced. "That I didn't know, which is sort of true. She wasn't happy with that as a response, though. I'm not sure how much she would have hurt me if you hadn't arrived, but I was getting desperate, and was about to tell her that I was a-"

He made a little "m-mn" noise to indicate he didn't want to say what was now the 'h-word'. "Then you did arrive, and she scattered. I guess for whatever reason it was that you came back to look for me… thanks."

He felt slightly uncomfortable expressing his gratitude, as although he  _was_ glad to be safe and unharmed, he felt as if his and the grey Pokémon's conversation – if that's what he could call it – had been cut short at a crucial moment,  _because_  of Ryu finding them. Maybe it was a good thing she didn't hear him say he was a human. Unless he met her again, he wouldn't know.

Ryu seemed to appreciate the thanks, and he sat in silence for a while, absent-mindedly flicking one of his ears. "So why did you try and hide that stuff about her?"

Fen breathed deeply. "This probably sounds crazy, but I think this Pokémon is significant in some way. To me, at least. She's the first person that seems to have any knowledge of  _them_ at all, beyond the fact that they exist away from here – and she told  _me_  the same thing. I didn't want her to get captured by the police, because there might be more I can learn from her… I mean, we have something pretty unusual in common.

"She still seems dangerous," Ryu warned. "Couldn't she easily attack you again?"

"Definitely," Fen agreed. "But I still need to talk to her, even if my legs get properly broken next time… it's a risk I'm willing to take."

Ryu chuckled. "Very foolish. I'm a fan."

"I would call it 'bravery'," Fen joked. "But I am serious about this."

Ryu thought for a second. "Do you think… she might be a human too?"

Fen almost laughed at the wildness of the idea. "It's possible, I guess. But she didn't assume  _I_ was a human when she asked… oh, I don't know!" He buried his face in his hands, even though they only covered about half of it. "What this has made clear to me is that I need to watch my mouth more. Not to bring up  _them_ while people might be listening."

"Oh, I was wondering… why do you try and hide the, uh, thing about you so much?" Ryu asked. Fen was about to respond quickly, but he interjected, "As well as it just being weird, I understand that."

_Hm…_ Fen hadn't anticipated having to answer that question, and struggled to think of how to explain. "Well… I'm not sure how Pokémon here would take it. It's okay for you, because you don't know anything about  _them_. But…" he trailed off, unsure of what he wanted to say. "Can we talk about this another time? I'm exhausted after today."

Ryu crossed his arms in annoyance. "You don't want to tell me something…"

"That's not what it is!" Fen snapped back, painfully aware that this was  _exactly_  what it was. "It's hard to explain, and I don't think now is the best time."

Ryu sighed, also looking weary. "Alright, fine. Let's go to bed."

They got up and scurried back to the relative warmth of the guild's room. Despite his exhaustion, Fen initially found himself too restless to drift off to sleep. On top of the puzzlement over the rush of emotion he'd felt the previous night, this day's events had just added to his worries. He'd met – or been attacked by – a Pokémon bearing some relation to humans… but what? It must have been something bad for her to attack him with such ferocity. If she did come from human lands, then she also might be able to get back there… so would he be able to as well?

And now a new problem, that he'd hardly had time to consider before. What would Ryu think if he told him Pokémon were treated, by some home humans at least, like mere pets? Or that they were often trained to fight under human command? It wasn't like they were treated particularly badly, at least to what he remembered, but… it didn't sit well with him in his current state. He doubted it would be something he could hide forever either, given how Ryu had been just now.

He pondered over how much thought he was giving this. How one person would react to something he  _may_ have to tell them eventually seemed somewhat trivial, compared with his earlier thoughts. But the fact it was  _Ryu_ made all the difference. Ryu was hardly a perfect companion, but Fen felt he owed him an awful lot for all the help he'd received, and the possibility of losing him hurt to think about.

At least his sleep that night was undisturbed.

* * *

As planned, they set out the next morning for Hidden Wood. With three of them, Savi advised that they only take one bag, and with his own ripped shoulder-bag looking worse for wear, they agreed instead to transfer the supplies he had into Ryu's. It wasn't much, but between them they had two oran berries, a lum berry, and enough fruit and water for a day's nourishment.

Following the path northwards that Scout had drawn out for them, they were taken through a valley that veered wildly in both direction and steepness. Scout was quite right in that it was 'off the beaten track' – the absence of any foot or paw-trodden path suggested as much. Frustrated at the way the valley seemed to take a very long-winded route around the mountains it flanked on either side, Ryu suggested they climb up one of the mountains and find a shortcut to the wood that way.

However, Savi had to reluctantly object, as he pointed out that his own body wasn't at all suited to climbing and mountaineering in the way theirs were. Ryu looked a little disgruntled at that, but thankfully for Fen he kept his complaints to a minimum.

Having to take a slower route meant they had been travelling for nearly three hours when the mountains finally sloped off, and a densely-packed area of woodland loomed below them in sharp decline. The angle of the slope made it hard to judge the deepness of the wood, but it would have been inaccessible, and undetected, from any other route on the island.

"It is hidden," Ryu dryly remarked once they had it in sight.

As they stopped to rest, a few drops of rain began falling. Fen felt them hit his fur with an uncomfortable sizzle. Since being subjected to rain almost as soon as he woke, he had almost managed to forget about the mild trauma it caused. The instincts that had woken him up then seemed to be coming back just as strong. He looked around at the others worriedly. "Can we shelter for a second?"

Even as he said it, he thought he felt the rain get heavier. A harsh west-blowing wind had picked up with it too, making Ryu and Savi look almost as restless as they tried to keep their balance. The only good hiding place Fen could imagine was in the wood itself, perhaps sheltering under a big-enough tree. So it was to his surprise when Ryu darted over to a large boulder nearby, appeared to check the direction of wind and rain with where he was standing, and drew one arm back. With three well-placed punches, he managed to excavate a sufficient opening in the rock, and gestured for them to climb in. As they squeezed inside the protected dome, Fen caught onto an unfamiliar urge to shake himself dry, which he was more than happy to oblige with given his discomfort.

"Hey!" Ryu barked immediately, having caught the brunt of his excess water. Savi didn't seem to mind it, though.

Fen could only laugh sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't know you could smash rocks like that, by the way."

Ryu shrugged. "Fists made of steel," he joked, clinking the backs of his paws together for effect.

The storm raged on with a ferocious intensity, such that despite their rock shield facing away from the rainfall, vapour from it still filtered through to where they were. Fen could only push himself further into the rock's interior.

They had to wait an hour for it to finally pass, by which point the ground outside was entirely sodden with water.

"Another heavy storm," Savi murmured. "Only a few days since the last one. It's strange…"

Fen and Ryu agreed, but neither of them had any other suggestions, so they moved to resume the descent into the forest, which thankfully looked a little drier than their exposed area of the mountain.

Once they made their way down – Savi by carefully navigating a way down the grassy bank, while Fen fortunately found he was able to follow Ryu's lead and half-run, half-skid – they found a faint, greyish mist had settled on the wood. It managed to block out a good chunk of natural light from the area, creating an illusion of twilight, despite the blue midday sky they'd just been walking in.

"This fog seemed to come out of nowhere," Fen mused. "Like the storm."

"It is odd," Ryu agreed. "I suppose it's lucky we brought our torch with us, hey?" He gave Fen a hefty nudge.

"Shut up," Fen grumbled half-heartedly, having already heard enough of Ryu's torch-jibe at his tail. "Anyway, that doesn't exactly help us see what's ahead, unless I walk backwards. My tail isn't long enough to hold in front of me."

"You could  _make_ a torch with a branch, or something," Ryu offered.

"Hm. Good idea," Fen acknowledged.

It took a few minutes of foraging around the trees for them to find a branch that was both somewhat dry, and the right length and density for Fen to hold in front of him. Most of the thicker branches were far too long, which eventually led to Ryu aggressively snapping one of them in half on his thigh. He passed the shortened piece of wood to Fen, who had to twist himself awkwardly to light it on his tail. Once that was done, he shined their new torch ahead.

"It looks like there's only one way we can go," he reported. "I can't see an end to this place though… and in this light, it'll take some serious searching to find a little scarf."

"Yeah… can we all stick together?" Savi piped up. "I'm not sure about this place... feels dangerous. Maybe it's just my scales shivering in the cold."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll stay together," Ryu said brusquely. "Scout told us there wasn't anything to worry about, anyway."

They got into a rough triangle formation, Fen leading the way with tail in hand, and Ryu and Savi flanking just behind. Scanning around for a white scarf made him acutely aware of the surroundings. The wood did look devoid of any life, going by the bare-leafed trees that bore no berries or fruit, and there was no discernible water supply to be found yet. Despite that, he flinched a couple of times upon sensing a movement nearby, only to find either no source to it at all, or just the tiny scuttling legs of a Spinarak.

The wood opened out significantly more as they walked further, but with that, the mist intensified, cutting their visibility further.

"This fog… it's so thick!" he heard Savi say behind him. "How are we going to search properly now? I can barely see my paw in front of me."

At that, Fen stopped walking. "I'm worried about this as well," he said. "Should we wait and see if it clears a bit?"

"No," Ryu barked abruptly. "Let's… keep moving."

Fen squinted at him questioningly. "Why? Savi's right, if we can hardly see-"

He was interrupted by a spine-chillingly harsh scream, coming from somewhere in the distance though it was impossible to tell where. He and Savi simultaneously jumped at the noise, though Ryu stayed perfectly still. As the first scream echoed around them, it was joined by a cacophony of other cries, all combining to create a din that made Fen want to rip his ears off, how much it pierced into his head.

"Wh-what's going on?" he distantly heard Savi stutter.

None of them could answer. Then ahead of them, an area of fog shifted of its own accord, and coalesced into a purple, floating head, grinning terrifyingly at them. Ryu yelped in surprise as a shadowy fist materialised from beneath the head, apparently disconnected from it entirely, and glanced a punch off his hip, sending him sprawling backwards, his bag also sent flying into the dirt. Ryu instinctively spun himself around, imbued his palm with a white energy and thrust it into the Haunter before him.

Except… it didn't hit the Haunter at all. Ryu's paw went straight through the Ghost's body, and just hung there for a few seconds. He gazed up at his enemy, absolutely frozen in shock, not even able to curse, or produce speech. For a moment, the Haunter was content just to grin savagely at his misfortune; but then, its body glowed red, and while Fen didn't see Ryu get hit with anything physical, he suddenly screamed in pain, and fell weakly to his knees.

The Haunter might've attacked him again, but before it could it was whipped by a pair of vines, each making a hollow-sounding  _thud_ as they connected with whatever curious quantity the Ghost was composed of. Seeing a reminder of Savi's abilities woke Fen from his own frozen state, and he rushed to spit some embers at the Haunter. Savi followed his own attack up by tilting himself forwards and producing an assault of bullet-like seeds from the bud on his back. None of the hits wiped the grotesque smile off the Haunter's face, but its body evaporated after the last seed fell, leaving a head-shaped chink in the fog.

As it did, the fog whirled rapidly around them, as if it were a conscious being itself, looking to repair the damage to its armour. Fen rushed over to Ryu, who hadn't moved since being battered by the Haunter's attacks. "Ryu!" he cried frantically. "Are you alright?! We need you here!"

Ryu shook his head sadly. He was shivering, and the way he spoke was of a similarly shaken matter. "I can't… they're Ghosts… I can't hurt them! I can't do anything…"

Before Fen could muster any kind of response – maybe it was a blessing that he didn't have to – Savi shouted from behind them: "Do either of you Slakoths want to help me?!" His tone had a ferocity Fen hadn't yet heard from him. "We've got more Ghosts to deal with here!"

Fen twisted and saw another floating head, this one smaller, slightly less scary-looking, but alongside it was a huge one-eyed monster that, more terrifyingly than either of the other two Ghosts, had actual legs to walk on. It was this one that was moving towards him and Ryu.

Savi threw out a barrage of razor-sharp leaves that forced the smaller 'mon back, though wasn't enough to defeat, or 'evaporate' it entirely. Fen couldn't see any option but to go similarly guns-blazing on the bipedal Ghost. He leapt to his feet, and got ready to position himself for an ember, but his foot caught on something.

He looked down to the floor to find… a rucksack, with two slashes etched in the side. Ryu's bag. He grabbed it and extended an arm out towards him, not wanting to take his eyes of their enemy…

Yet the bag continued to hang in the air. " _Ryu_ …" Fen murmured impatiently, hoping its owner would notice. When he still got nothing, he finally adverted his gaze and looked to the right of him, where Ryu had been shivering in fear next him. Except he wasn't there.

Ryu had vanished.


	7. Rescue Mission

For a few seconds, Fen just stared at the empty space where Ryu had stood. _I don’t understand… where did he go?!_ _He didn’t–_

A sudden cracking brought him back to his senses, which was then followed by a harsh shriek, much like the one they’d heard moments before the Ghosts in front of them had appeared. _Right, I need to focus. Like Savi said, there’s still a battle to be fought here._

He spun back towards the two Ghosts, and– no, there was only the bipedal one left now. The smaller Ghost that had been fighting Savi had vanished, and his vines were currently straining to wrap around the two-legged creature, trying to constrict its movements. The distraction gave Fen the opportunity to attack.

His first instinct was to slash wildly at the Ghost, but fortunately his rationality prevailed in this case, assuming that, like Ryu, his arms would just would pass straight through its body. Tossing his makeshift torch to the side for now, he opted for the _second_ instinct, spitting all the fire he could manage at the Ghost.

He heard Savi yelp in pain, his vines rapidly withdrawn as his flames hit. _Ah… I forgot I would be hitting him as well._

The Ghost tottered for a second, but as it seemed to be losing balance, its single eye met with Fen’s own. Its red pupil was huge, and the intensity of its gaze terrifying. In that moment, Fen instinctively tried to pull himself away from the sight, but his eyes somehow couldn’t obey him. He was fixed in place.

The Ghost’s eye blazed white, so sudden and bright that Fen was temporarily blinded. With his sight went his own sense of balance, causing him to stagger and fall onto his side in dizziness. Still able to see very little, he tried to get up again, but felt overwhelmed with nausea.

While he fought with his senses, he could hear a cracking of… something he wasn’t sure of, and another screech of pain, lower in pitch than he remembered before. The sounds reverberated horribly around him, muddling his hearing and dazing him even more than before. His vision lurched again as someone pulled him into an upright sitting position. He felt sick.

His gaze was distant as his eyes tried to make sense of what he was seeing. There was a dark green creature in front of him, its dark red eyes glowing in the dimness. He didn’t know what to do… was this Pokémon familiar? Its eyes looked dangerous, which he took to mean it must be an enemy. He growled intimidatingly at the figure, and got ready to fire off an ember, when a sudden slap to the face extinguished it in his throat. His vision spun again, and he slumped back on the muddy floor.

The creature’s breathing, if that’s what he could hear as he faced sideways, suddenly intensified. He heard a scrambling of limbs, and a muttering from nearby: “why is Ryu’s bag here… where _is_ Ryu…? Well, there should be a lum in here anyway…”. He heard the words, but like before they rattled around in his skull, as if being fired from multiple directions.

The dark green figure snapped back into his vision, and thrust a piece of fruit at his mouth before he could react. “Eat,” the figure ordered, a little shakily. “Or I’ll hit you again.”

Not left with much choice, Fen carefully took the berry and bit down into it, not paying much attention to taste. Not long after he had swallowed the first bite, his vision cleared, his ears began working properly, and he got a striking, almost wonderous feeling of clarity about the world that had been missing a second ago. He realised he was lying on his side, and quickly righted himself, then blinked at the Pokémon in front of him. He gasped.

“Savi!” he cried. “What was I… did I try to attack you?! I… growled at you… I don’t understand…”

Savi looked at him pitifully in his panic. “You were confused,” he answered gravely. “Confusion’s… well, it’s pretty awful, from my mercifully limited experience. Pretty much everything other than your basic survival instincts get horribly mangled up, to the point where you don’t know who’s friend or enemy. It seems you thought I was an enemy, so… yeah. To stop you attacking me...” He grimaced. “Sorry about the slap.”

“No! I’m thankful you did it, if I was about to attack you,” Fen said sincerely. The ease at which he’d almost hurt Savi disturbed him, but he tried to ignore that worry for now, focusing on piecing their recent, confused events together in his head. “So what happened to that Pokémon we were fighting?”

“It’s gone,” Savi said briefly. “As well as the first one.”

“You… defeated both of them?”

He shrugged. “You helped a little.”

“It was basically all you,” Fen corrected. “Well, thanks. Good job.”

Savi smiled bashfully, his two upper teeth protruding out of his mouth slightly as he did. He passed their water flask to Fen, who drank gratefully. Once he was done, he noticed the look of uncertainty etched on his ally’s face, and felt the need to speak up again.

“Ryu’s gone.”

Savi’s eyes met his in recognition. “It looks that way.”

“So… you didn’t see him disappear? Or anything like that?” Fen’s voice pitch rose with increasing anxiety.

Savi shook his head. “I only realised once the Ghosts were dealt with and you were confused. I mean, I can’t imagine he got captured by a Ghost, since that’s logically… wrong.” He frowned. “Maybe he saw something and didn’t have time to tell us?”

Fen looked at him unconvincingly, and Savi replied a little more irritably, “Hey, you know him better than me; what do you suggest?”

It was Fen’s turn to frown. He would like to say he knew Ryu well, and maybe he did, but he already had experience of the way his friend could act unexpectedly. He thought back to when Ryu had lashed out at him under fairly little provocation when they were camped in Cheri Forest. This felt like another one of those cases. And if Ryu couldn’t have been captured, or at least treating that as a very unlikely cause… there seemed only one reason for his disappearance.

“I think… he ran away intentionally,” Fen said at last. “His moves can’t hit Ghost Pokémon, as you probably saw…”

“You think he got scared, or something?” Savi asked. “That seems… very odd.”

“I wouldn’t expect it from Ryu either,” Fen replied. “But I can’t see any other alternatives.” Savi too couldn’t help coming to the same conclusion.

“If he did run away, I suppose he’d be looking for the same exit that we came in from,” Fen offered.

“Would he be able to find that?” Savi questioned. “It’s hard to see anything here without a source of light. We have that right now, but he doesn’t.”

“Yeah…” Fen murmured, then suddenly pounded the ground in frustration. “How did this even happen? Scout said this wood was deserted, not a Ghost-infested nightmare of a place.”

“I don’t know. I’ve never encountered Ghosts before…”

“Me neither,” Fen sighed.

They were both tired out from their fight, and simply rested for a few moments, before Savi spoke.

 “Remember, we _were_ meant to be finding a scarf in here, too,” he said uneasily. “If we don’t come out with anything, we’ll have failed the mission…”

Fen stared at him in disbelief. “Someone’s just disappeared and that’s all you care about?” It came out a tad cynical, which he instantly regretted.

Savi’s eyes widened suddenly, and for a moment he looked poised to shuffle away from Fen. But he quickly regained his composure, before speaking defiantly.

“It still is important, you know… if we don’t do this mission, we need to pay Faoz actual rent until we can get another one done. Did you realise that? I barely have the money to bail one of us out, let alone two or three. And I believe you and Ryu spent all of _your_ money yesterday. So unless you’re okay sleeping out in the open… we need to work out something.” He paused, then added, “Depending on how long we spend here, we might have to sleep outside anyway.”

Fen sighed, knowing Savi was right. Their money situation hadn’t ever occurred to him. Regardless of which task they prioritised though, it seemed to boil down to wandering aimlessly, with so little light to see in. Surely there was a better way…

He considered calling out for Ryu, but didn’t know if that would alert other Pokémon or not. Maybe it could be a last resort. As he thought, his unfocused eyes gazed past Savi into the distance. He found himself absently inspecting the fronds on the Ivysaur’s back. It was funny how the big leaves held Savi’s bud so securely in place. He hadn’t seen leaves like that on any tree he could remember…

That particular musing seemed to stick with him, for reasons he couldn’t grasp. _Am I missing something here?_ he wondered. They needed a way to search that was more efficient than just going on foot… but if they could somehow see more… _wait, what was I thinking about just now?_

_Trees? I can climb trees! Maybe if I got high enough on one, I could get a view of the whole wood… and we might spot Ryu or a scarf, or hopefully both._

He had a quick look around for a good one to scale. While height was difficult to judge in the fog, a particularly gnarled, thick tree-trunk just ahead looked a good bet.

He quickly explained his plans to Savi, who sounded optimistic enough, with no better suggestions. Fen jumped up to meet the chosen tree, scrambling up the surface until he reached two-thirds of the trunk’s full height. Even in the dim light, it wasn’t much of a challenge.

He noticed that the fog that had been covering the floor of the wood didn’t extend beyond a few feet, but it now annoyingly formed an almost-opaque blanket below him, impossible to see to the ground from. It took him a few seconds to realise that the _sky_ was what he could now make out above the trees. It was difficult to judge time without any reference point, but it was at least still light. _Hopefully we can make it out of here before night falls._

Looking around, he saw two small patches of light from opposite directions. The one he faced looked closer, but if his sense of direction was correct, it was the further exit that was from the direction they had entered. He lingered, trying to catch sight of the elusive white scarf, or a blue-black bipedal creature, yet if they were both on the ground somewhere, like he assumed, locating them seemed impossible in the fog. He sighed. The only thing he’d managed to find was their bearings, and even that was debatable.

Defeated, he made a move to climb down again. His leg found a thin tree branch, which duly snapped under his weight. He didn’t lose balance, but in the eerie silence of the wood, the snapping rang out all around him. Then a sudden ruffling of wings made him freeze. It sounded nearby, from the way they’d walked in… but this high up? What could it be?

He didn’t have to wait for an answer, as a wing slashed into his arm, making him cry out in both pain and shock. He hurriedly did a half-climb, half-drop type descent back to the floor, where Savi had already seemed to sense the danger, securing the bag on his back in preparation for action. As Fen landed, the cries didn’t relent. He saw a swarm of Zubat burst out from the fog above in pursuit of them.

Savi yelped as he saw them approach, and he spun his head around rapidly, seemingly in search of something. One of his vines then sprung out and latched onto a twig about a foot in length. As the Zubat closed in, Savi’s body arched forwards as he hurled the twig into the darkness. It made a hollow _tok_ sound as it hit a nearby tree.

At this, the Zubat emitted a few confused-sounding cries, heads turning in the direction of the tree. Fen didn’t understand what was happening, but he thought best to copy Savi’s behaviour, who was standing as still as a Shuckle.

The Zubat began cautiously flying over to the source of the new sound, and Savi spoke quietly. “We need to run, right now,” he said to Fen. “Did you see a way out?”

Fen quickly exchanged looks with him and nodded, wordlessly accepting the proposal made. With Savi beside him, he dropped to all fours and dashed in the direction of the light he had seen in the distance – the _wrong_ light, he realised too late. The twig distraction had taken the Zubat towards their original entrance, which forced them the other way.

It wasn’t long before the Zubat seemed to sense they’d been tricked, with their harsh cries returning to Fen’s ears. He would’ve been more confident in losing them had he been running alone, but he had to stick with Savi as well, and speed was certainly not one of the Ivysaur’s strong points, his thickset legs struggling to keep pace with Fen’s galloping. However, between them they kept up a pace just quick enough to keep their pursuers at arm’s length. At least, that was what Fen thought – he didn’t dare glance behind them. _If we just keep this up until the end of the wood,_ he thought hopefully, _maybe they’ll stop pursuing us? It’s out of their habitat, after all…_

He didn’t want to gamble on that conclusion, so they kept at a high speed as the bright clearing ahead got nearer. It was only when they were at the wood’s end, close enough to make out the other side of the light, that he and Savi simultaneously yelped in shock.

The wood stopped just before the end of a cliff edge, below which stood a drop of at least 30 feet, an icy blueness looming at the bottom. _The sea! Water! I have to–_

With faster reflexes than he’d ever thought possible, Fen almost tripped over his legs in his attempts to stop himself, and tumbled over onto his side, inches away from the cliff’s edge. Beside him, Savi had rammed his vines into the ground, and released himself just before the momentum threw him the opposite way like a slingshot. He was thrown onto his back but used his vines to help right himself.

Fen’s heart was pounding at their near miss, almost so much that he couldn’t make out the increasing cries of the Zubat pursuing them. They were still approaching fast.

“Fen, I don’t know if we can do this…” Savi panted next to him. “There’s no way we can fight so many of these. If I could put them all to sleep, we might be able to get away, but you’d fall asleep too, and I can’t just carry you out of here…”

 _Savi can induce sleep…? How?_ At the same time as that thought, Fen looked around desperately for an escape route. The cliff was at a dead end, so trying to navigate a route around it to safety seemed the only alternative to Savi’s idea of running back where they’d came. His own water fears, Savi’s climbing limitations, and the fact that the Zubat may well catch them _anyway_ if they did, all seemed good reasons to dismiss that plan.

Struggling for ideas, his eyes picked up a thin, white object buried under a rubble of rocks just next to him. It looked like a kind of fabric… almost like…

It took a moment for his mind to unscramble itself. _This… this is the scarf! It must be!_ He pulled it from the rubble, and though it was faint, he felt it exude… something. It was a strange kind of pressure on his hand, but even if he didn’t understand it, its very existence surely confirmed that the object was special.

Their winged pursuers were getting louder. He stared at the magical object he held. A third option for their escape now occurred to him. _Fight them off?_

He hurriedly tied the fabric in a rough knot around his neck. “Fen…?” Savi said again, before noticing the scarf on him. “Wait… is that…?”

Fen didn’t answer. He got to his feet, feeling a sudden air of confidence, and faced the oncoming ‘bats. He had no idea what to expect from the scarf, but the effect was startling, and also disorientating. The world seemed to subtly shift in perspective, and he felt strangely heavier, but also lighter, somehow. As if his mind had previously been clouded and was now being figuratively wiped with a cloth. He didn’t have time to make sense of it. He took some steps away from the perilous cliff and composed himself.

Watching the Zubat approach seemed to take place in slow motion. He counted five of them ahead, but didn’t simply observe them; he knew all their flight trajectories, where they were planning to strike him. The biggest, presumably the pack’s leader, noticed Fen first and swooped down to attack. Fen shifted his weight to the right at the last moment, sending the confused creature past him, flapping about trying to correct itself. As it flailed, he was perfectly placed to spin and fire an ember at it, simultaneously assaulting it with scratches for good measure. When the Zubat was down, he sensed two of the others behind him. He pivoted again and noted they were approaching from his left and right respectively. He dove forwards when they were close, keeping himself low to ground so they flew harmlessly over his head, which also helpfully moved him away from the cliff. As he turned to face the Zubat again, he saw Savi had already trapped one of the pair in his vines. _Good, that makes things a little easier._

The second Zubat was preparing to launch another attack, but there were still two more behind Fen that were yet to make a move. He glanced back and forth, waiting for the Zubat facing him to be close enough, and those behind to already be descending towards him; then he jumped up to meet the first Zubat’s trajectory, grappling with its wings in the air before brutally roasting it with fire at close range. It dropped to the ground instantly, while the two other Zubat had missed him. _That should be three down,_ he thought, _leaving just the task of_ –

 _Thwack!_ Fen felt a thin, tough object crunch into back of the neck, stunning him. As he lost balance, he heard a screech from behind him, lower pitched and more growly than those of the Zubat before. There were squeals, then a mad flapping of wings as their original pursuers seemed to retreat.

He groaned, feeling a dull ache in his neck already, but as he tried to pull himself to his feet, he discovered with alarm that his arms and legs could barely move. He had known this before, from when he had been paralysed… but this didn’t seem to be the same. His limbs burned with fatigue.

After a couple of tries, he managed to force himself to his knees, but it was a supreme effort to do so. He was baffled. Whatever had hit him was sturdy, but it had hardly felt worse than any other attacks he had suffered in his short Pokémon life. Plus, he was only hit in the neck, not anywhere else that suddenly felt drained of all energy.

Raising his head, he now could see a flying beast of a Pokémon, its wings alone standing a good five feet tall. He had his back to the Golbat, but could hear it snarl viciously at Savi. who was backed against the cliff’s edge as he tried desperately to defend himself.

Fen could only watch as the Golbat slashed Savi across the face with a wing, surely the same way in which he himself had been attacked just now, and then lunged towards Savi, its mouth open. Savi threw himself to his left with surprising agility, just managing to evade the Golbat’s jaws.

Fen couldn’t understand why Savi wasn’t trying to fight back, his face only burning with an intense concentration. Then there was a _pop,_ and he saw a seed, miniscule in size, shoot into the air between Savi and the Golbat. As soon as it did, Savi hared off towards Fen and towards the wood.

A moment later, the seed cracked open and green spores exploded out of it, engulfing both the Golbat and Savi. Savi burst clear of them first and yelled at Fen to “come on!” He duly tried running, and despite it being a slow and painful process, he just about managed for now.

The Golbat appeared a second later, still aiming for Savi. Its movements were laboured though, with its wings beating increasingly slow. Before it could reach them its wings stopped altogether, its eyes drooped shut, and it hit the grassy surface with a _thump._ A roar that it had attempted came out as more of a whine. Fen stared in wonder behind him as he tried to run. Now he understood what Savi had meant by putting their attackers to sleep.

Back inside the wood. Savi had overtaken Fen, and it took the Grass Pokémon a moment to realise he wasn’t catching up. “What’s happened to you?” Savi demanded as he stopped, voice resembling some state between worry and exasperation.

“I don’t know!” Fen gasped, falling to his knees. “I’m exhausted, I can barely move… but I wasn’t hit that hard or anything…”

He checked his body for any noticeable cuts, markings, _anything_ , but found nothing other than a few impact bruises. His eyes eventually focused, largely by accident, on the scarf dangling from his neck. _This doesn’t feel so useful any more,_ he thought miserably, before that triggered a realisation. _Wait… surely the scarf isn’t doing this to me? Is that possible?_

He hurriedly untied it and gasped as he felt the relief of a great pressure being lifted from him, comparable to putting down a heavy weight. Holding the scarf in his hand still faintly gave off that aura he had felt when first picking it up.

Savi noticed his reaction, and muttered, “Don’t tell me… the scarf–”

“Looks like it,” Fen answered concisely, before finding an extra energy in his legs that he thought was lost, climbing back to his feet. “Let’s run?”

Savi agreed, and they hurriedly stashed the scarf in Ryu’s bag before taking off, moving in a zigzagging path to attempt to throw the Golbat off their scent. There were no signs of life from behind them as they ran, which suggested the Golbat was either still sleeping peacefully, or had lost them entirely. Either probability was enough for them to be content with, but after an indeterminable amount of time spent thrashing around in the near-darkness, Fen called for another stop, which thankfully Savi didn’t object to this time.

They pitched up beside a thick tree, feeling sheltered enough under the protection of its branches. After a few minutes of silence surely confirmed the Golbat had lost track of them, they munched through most of the food they had packed, necessary after such a long time fighting and running without rest. By unspoken consent, they left enough for one more Pokémon.

At first, they were only relieved at having escaped from their terrifying scenario. Savi eventually said, “Looks like you found _the scarf,_ then.”

Fen chuckled weakly, then quickly stopped as he remembered the nearly-horror of their situation. “It was using my energy, I’m pretty sure,” he recalled. “I hardly had it on for very long, but all of sudden it just _hit_ me… I’m glad I realised it when I did.”

Savi nodded. “What did it… _do_ to you, exactly?” he asked, with a hint of disbelief. “It was amazing to watch, even if I was a little distracted at the time.”

Fen tried to describe it in the thoughts he’d had in that brief moment; the clear-headedness he’d felt, then the ability to dodge the Zubats’ attacks effortlessly. Savi listened carefully, not interrupting until he had fully finished.

“I suppose… it’s good that we have it now, in case there’s a situation like that again,” Savi said afterwards. “But for emergencies only.” Fen agreed.

“I didn’t know scarves had that effect on ‘mon, if your interpretation of events is right,” Savi went on. “I’ve never worn one before, and I don’t remember Scout mentioning it yesterday…”

“That’s true…” Fen mused. His expression soured as he thought about it. _Why wouldn’t Scout tell us that? If I hadn’t thought to take the scarf off, I dread to think what would’ve become of us. Did he know about the dangers of this wood as well, but just lied about it? Was he trying to put us in danger?_

“Hey! Fen, just uh, calm down a second, could you?” Savi interrupted his thoughts, sounding oddly jumpy.

Fen hesitated, confused at his behaviour. “…Why?”

“Well… maybe you didn’t notice, but your tail flared up just then. It happened earlier too, when we were arguing about whether to look for Ryu or the scarf.” Savi shifted uncomfortably. “Only because I’m sitting quite close to you here, and I’m naturally a bit scared of fire…”

Fen did his best to hide his surprise. _I thought I saw Savi look scared for a moment that first time… I understand why now. So he’s afraid of fire, just like I’m afraid of water. It makes sense, I guess. But my tail…!_ He sighed in exasperation. _It flares up whenever I’m angry? How wonderful… Ryu must have noticed it do that too, but I guess he didn’t see reason to mention anything._

He apologised quickly. “I just didn’t know what to do back there, after Ryu had vanished.”

Savi looked to have calmed himself and gave a slight smile. “It’s fine.”

“And also, that time when I caught your vines with my embers…” Fen said sheepishly.

Savi chuckled now. “It was my fault for trying to leech that Ghost,” he replied. “Should’ve known that’s how you would attack. But please try not to burn me again… it’s awful.”

“I… _can’t_ imagine it, actually,” Fen said, correcting himself just in time. He assumed he couldn’t burn himself.

Fen had a quick look around, for no particular reason. While he saw no objects or Pokémon of interest, he noticed something different about their surroundings.

“The fog’s cleared a little,” he said. “And it’s gotten a little brighter in here.”

Savi peered out at the wood and murmured in approval. “I’d bloody hope so,” he muttered, eliciting a smile from Fen. “Especially if it’s the fog that’s bringing about all these Ghosts.”

One of his paws beat the ground restlessly. “Do you want to try climbing another tree? I know it didn’t exactly work first time, but it still sounds like our best bet of finding Ryu. Now that we have the scarf.”

“Right.” Fen clapped his hands together, then winced when he realised the acute sound might alert more Zubat. A few nervous moments duly passed without event. “I’ll try and be more careful this time.”

He began climbing the trunk of the tree they had been leaning against, reaching a similar height to his first climb. At first, he only saw the same two rays of light that had marked the wood’s two entrances. The fog, though shallower, still made it difficult to make out much of the surface.

Determined not to give up, he scanned his eyes intently over the mist, eventually landing upon an oddity on his right. There was an area where the fog seemed to dip inexplicably downwards into the ground, as if something was trying to cover it up. Intrigued, he thought about how to reach this fog-dip. On the ground it might not be visible to them, and even if it was, they would have to stumble through a lot of existing fog before they got there.

He caught sight of a branch from another tree hanging tantalisingly near, lying between him and the dip. He got a sudden urge to leap across to it. 

 _Is this another one of my instincts?_ he pondered. _Well, they’ve mostly served me well up to this point… and travelling in this way would surely be more accurate than walking…_

Fen scrambled down to Savi and told him to follow his lead from above. He hoped it would be that simple, but Savi pointed out that he couldn’t see him so high up due to the blanketing fog. They settled on Fen scrambling down every few trees to make sure Savi was following.

He climbed back up to the tree, then checked his position again. After making sure his arms and legs were positioned properly, though they almost seemed to take care of that themselves, he jumped.

He managed to supress a squeal as he latched onto the new branch, legs left hanging in the air. But he had landed. _That felt good,_ he thought, satisfied. _This must be another one of those natural things._ _Heh, aren’t trees great?_

Another firm-looking branch lingered ahead, and he made the jump much easier this time. Soon enough, he barely had to think about finding hand-holds as he headed towards the dip.

When he was over it, he suddenly questioned the wisdom of his plan. What if this… peculiarity was just a ploy by a particularly sneaky wild Pokémon, looking for prey? He tried to shake it out of his mind. _The only Pokémon we’ve found here other than Ghosts have been in the air, not in the dirt._

He intended to land right next to the dip, but misjudged his positioning, and one of his feet twisted awkwardly as he landed, pain shooting through it. He cursed, then winced as he quickly pulled himself up. The fog was concealing a hole in the ground! It was about 4 to 5 feet in diameter, if he had to guess.

Without a torch now, he cautiously positioned himself to try and get a good look at the hole through his tail flame. Before he could though, there was a ruffling of movement inside, making him shuffle backwards in panic. A head suddenly appeared, its sharp red pupils coming into focus first. They looked at Fen so startled, that for a moment he was stunned too.

Just as Fen was about to speak, the figure yelped and plummeted back below the surface. Confused, Fen spun behind him and was met with a new Ghost, this one a small, grey cone-shaped thing with luminous eyes. It screeched at him, then threw itself at Fen in a sort of Ghost-tackle.

It was a small creature, but the tackle packed some weight behind it, and Fen fell to the ground briefly before scrambling back up. He shivered. The feeling of a Ghost Pokémon contacting him wasn’t one he was keen to relive. Drawing on another ember, he forced his enemy back a little, before the bottom half of the Ghost’s body violently jerked outwards towards him, a round of seeds pummelling it from behind. It cried out weakly as it evaporated into the air, revealing its defeater.

“Thanks, Savi,” Fen panted, the Ivysaur standing opposite him looking similarly worn-out.

“Just… don’t move through the trees so fast next time,” Savi replied, though he looked in good spirits as he spoke.

 _I must’ve gotten carried away with that…_ Fen thought on reflection. He leaned back over to the hole the figure had disappeared to. He knew who the figure was, at least. The yelp he’d heard was unmistakable.

“…Ryu?” he asked quietly. There was no response. “Look… we beat all the Ghosts… there aren’t any more here.” _I really hope that’s true, for both our sakes._

A head peeked out of the darkness. It held out a paw to Fen, the back of which had a silvery bump. Fen sighed in relief, though slightly confused at Ryu’s behaviour. Like a handshake, he held out a hand of his own which Ryu took, before throwing his other around Fen’s back in an embrace.

Ryu wasn’t crying, but physical signs suggested he already had been; his eyes were puffy, he sniffed often, and was shivering despite the presumed warmth his hold on Fen was giving him. He was silent for a long time, before finally breathing: “Thanks for looking out for me.”

Fen was undoubtedly glad to see Ryu, but was worried by the state he looked to be in. He gave it a moment before asking. “Ryu… what happened?”

Ryu pulled away from him. He faltered on his first attempt, before managing to say: “The Ghosts… I had a f-feeling, just before they appeared, of what was happening… but I was too scared to say it then… I didn’t want to believe it. When I tried to attack that first one and realised what it was, that I couldn’t do it any damage… I just freaked out. Y’see, when I was little I got attacked by one of them once… I was so scared then…”

“What?!” Fen said, alarmed. “Were you okay?”

Ryu nodded miserably. “I wasn’t on my own… but it was when I looked up and saw that _thing’s_ face, laughing at me, while my hand had just gone straight through it, I just… that fear came back! And when I get scared, instead of freezing like most ‘m-mon probably would, I just run, as far as possible. Without even knowing what I was doing, even forgetting the bag, I started running. Obviously, I had no idea where I was going in the dark. I could tell there were still Ghosts around, could _hear_ them, but I had no other way to hide from them, so I thought… if I could get underground, maybe they wouldn’t be able reach me.”

He sniffed again, and held his paws out to Fen, who gasped as he saw they were cracked, smeared with blood. “I don’t even know how to dig properly,” he sniffed, offering the slightest of smiles. It quickly disappeared. “It was something, at least. Then I hid in there, shaking and crying, out of fear and because I knew what a… what a failure I’ve been.”

“Hey, that’s not true!” Fen asserted to him.

“Of course it is!” Ryu cried back. “I’ve failed. No one just runs away from their fears like I did… it’s pathetic.”

Fen did his best to provide some words of comfort. “Ryu… I have fears as much as you do. And Savi.” Savi helpfully nodded in approval. “You shouldn’t feel bad about it, okay?”

“Well, I do,” Ryu snapped decisively. He looked at them for a second, then asked, “D’you know how we can get out of here?”

Fen explained his tree-climbing method, which he’d hoped would cheer Ryu up a bit to hear about. In reality, the Riolu’s expression hardly changed; he looked just as despondent as before.

“Okay,” he murmured when Fen had finished. “Let’s go.”

Fen was confident enough in his sense of direction to walk with the others on the ground this time. The fog around them gradually faded as they neared the exit, with natural darkness more of a barrier to their sight now.

Fen walked close to Ryu the entire time, thinking he could do with some company. He just wished he could figure out what to _say._ He’d never seen Ryu in such a sad, desperate state; his eyes didn’t lift from towards the ground, and his feet dragged through the damp floor as if he could hardly will them to move.

 _Knowing Ryu’s volatility,_ Fen thought, _maybe it’s best that I don’t say anything… but I can’t believe he can be this unhappy about simply losing a fight, or running away from one._

Thinking back, he realised again just how competitive Ryu could be over his fighting. When he defeated the Ninjask that time in Cheri Forest, he had been furious at himself not for losing, but for using the wrong _move!_

_Maybe I’ll ask about his attitude another time. I just hope he feels better tomorrow…_

They agreed, largely by unspoken consent, to stay the night in the rock shelter Ryu had smashed into earlier in the day, just outside the wood. They cleared out the debris to leave as much space as possible, and consumed the rest of the food and water they had. They had left the majority for Ryu, but he declined the offer and only ate about a third of their stock.

It was hardly ideal sleeping conditions, but the prospect of a three hour walk back to the town didn’t sound like much fun in their exhausted states. And, as Savi reasoned, out here was a better alternative to the wood itself, as they were protected should it suddenly flare up with Ghosts again.

* * *

Fen had found a nice sleeping position against a contour of the rock, and was just drifting into unconsciousness… when…

_…!!!_

He spluttered himself awake, realising he was panting for air. He felt a rush of anxiety, so much so that he scrambled out of the cave, suddenly getting claustrophobic. The grass outside was too wet to sit in, so he ran over to another nearby rock and sat on top of it. He ran his hands through his tail flame, the same technique he’d used to calm himself… when this happened before.

_This… this happened again! That’s the third time…_

The fundamental emotion he’d felt was the same as before – fear. But there was something more to it this time. He’d felt… a sense of urgency, and a deep worry – the cause of which, he couldn’t discern. What could it mean? What did any of this mean?

It didn’t help that the power of this ‘emotion attack’, as he coined it, had been heftier than the previous two. He’d initially acted as terrified as those emotions had been communicating.

Taking some deep breaths, he looked down at his shaking hands. _What happened to me?_ he thought forlornly, not for the first time. _What did I do for all this to fall on me… and what’s happening to me_ now _?_

Mysterious as they were, he strived to make sense of these emotion attacks. _They must have some meaning, as surely, they_ can’t _be normal for anyone to experience… Pokémon or human._ That thought made him pause. _But I’m a Pokémon with some human mannerisms, and have the memory of being a human… so what am I, really? I don’t know…_

A ruffling from behind, more striking in the night’s silence, made him turn his head. Ryu slowly walked out of their shelter onto the grass, tip-toeing around Savi’s bulky frame. He wearily rubbed an eye, and gazed out towards Fen, who was sitting opposite him.

“What?” he whispered shortly to Fen.

Fen realised how strange his behaviour must look right now. He hesitated over how to answer the question. “Are you… feeling alright?” he asked Ryu, conscious of his earlier state.

Ryu let out a _hmph_ noise, something between a groan and a sigh. “It’s been a bad day,” he mumbled. “Just explain what’s going on, yeah?”

As Ryu wished, Fen told him everything about the emotions he’d felt – how the feeling had hit him twice before, and how its increasing intensity was affecting him. He explained as best he could, but a non-physical experience like this one was difficult to find words for.

Ryu mused for a while once Fen was done. He had listened attentively, but still looked awfully down, and his low tone of voice suggested as much. “I’ve never heard of anything like what you’re saying. Especially just before going to sleep. That’s… weird.”

“That’s what I thought,” Fen said. “It sounds ridiculous trying to explain it.”

“Yeah,” Ryu agreed. “Not sure any ‘mon would take you seriously if you told ‘em that story.”

“Huh…” Fen lowered his head, the thought filling him with sadness. He didn’t that doubt Ryu was telling him the truth. “Thanks for believing me, in that case.”

Ryu gave him a reassuring look. “You said it made you fearful?” he said after a brief silence.

“The emotions? Yeah.”

“Well, what with the storm earlier, then those Ghosts appearing… you’re not alone in feeling that today.”

“Heh…” Fen paused, an idea coming to mind. “Hold on… this thing has happened three times. The first one was the night following the storm in Cheri Forest – I didn’t feel much then, but it was definitely there. The second time was after the earthquake, and today it came after this storm. That feeling of fear, panic… something about these natural disasters _has_ felt wrong to me from the start. Weren’t people saying earthquakes were unheard of in Kyunn?”

Ryu nodded. “So… you think these weather events are linked with whatever it is you’ve got?”

“Unless you have a better idea, then yes. I feel like these thoughts are trying to communicate _something_ to me… what exactly, I couldn’t be sure, but it’s surely important. What if there’s bigger reason for these natural disasters? What if it’s something do to with _me_?”

Ryu’s head was lowered, but Fen could just make out him smiling thinly. “You probably think I’m insane,” Fen muttered to him.

Ryu chuckled at that; it was the happiest Fen had heard him for a good while. “Not at all,” he replied. “What I understand of your life _so far_ is insane enough.” He turned to face Fen and spoke seriously. “What do you want to do, then? Stop these natural disasters?”

“I…” Fen froze. The thought hadn’t occurred to him yet, but it seemed obvious now Ryu had said it. There was no doubt the disasters were bad, and they were going to continue, if his intuitions were correct… so they had to be stopped. It was the only solution. Plus, he _had_ sensed urgency in his most recent emotion attack. Was it an urgency to stop the disasters?

“Yes… it seems like that’s what I need to do,” he said. “But how?”

Ryu mulled over this but didn’t have an immediate answer. Then a new idea came to Fen.

“We can’t bend the elements to our will… but if we find out what’s _causing_ these problems, then…” he nearly jumped in excitement as his thoughts suddenly linked together. “We could look for the Absol we saw that time in the forest! It must be able to tell us something about why the disasters are happening... it’s the disaster _Pokémon,_ after all. And if I get any more of these… emotion attacks if you will, they might help me understand too. And all this might explain why I’m here in the first place! Or how. They could be linked…”

Ryu gazed into the distance, not quite sharing his enthusiasm. “It’s not much to go on…” he muttered.

Fen refused to believe it. “Well, someone in Sanguin Town must know about Absol, I can’t imagine that _no one_ does. We could find out where to find one there. Once we get the reward from this mission, we could buy whatever else we need for the journey… assuming the reward is as good as Scout said it was… and then we could…”

He stopped. _We._ He’d been saying the word absent-mindedly, so used to him and Ryu travelling together. If he was going to do this – leave town, set out to end the natural disasters – he had just assumed Ryu would be with him. But there was no reason to expect that, especially given how Ryu had been today. Fen felt his excitement crash back down to earth.

“You don’t have to come with me, Ryu,” he murmured, as Ryu continued to look coldly into the night. “I was probably getting ahead of myself a bit. I don’t know if all this will be possible anyway…”

At this, Ryu gave him an amused look. “Let’s see how your plan goes first, eh?” he said, a little more cheerfully.

“Yeah…” Fen said, interrupted by a huge yawn. He blinked a few times, suddenly aware again of how exhausted he was. The adrenaline he’d gotten from the rush of emotions was wearing off. “You’re right. I should worry about this tomorrow. Right now, rest is needed.”

Ryu chuckled a little. They jumped down from the rock, and quietly returned to their own shelter. Mercifully, Fen didn’t have any problems with sleep this time.


	8. Departure

As soon as morning light illuminated the cracks in their hollowed rock, the three of them were up and moving. Sleep, Fen had been delighted to learn, did wonders for physical injuries and fatigue, which made the long walk back to town a lot more appealing than it had been last night. Ryu was chirpier than the previous day, which suggested it did mental fatigue some good, too.

The low sun was dazzling as they walked back through the valley's hills. The grass initially glistened with water dew, but the dampness faded quickly in the heat. Fen couldn't be more glad for the brightness after yesterday's perpetual murkiness in the wood. Something about being in the sun's glare felt wonderfully powerful and compelling, like it filled him with energy. He hoped the sky would stay clear of clouds for a good while yet.

Someone that he realised had escaped his thoughts last night, as he was caught up in planning, was Savi. He felt in an awkward position, having originally asked Savi if he'd like to travel with them; it was both as a repaying of his own debt to Savi for all the help he'd given, and more importantly because his current travel partner, the Luxio called Luxca, had sounded in a pretty bad state. For him and Ryu to suddenly up stakes and leave without Savi seemed unfair on the Ivysaur.

They'd walked a fair distance without Fen or Ryu mentioning anything of their plans, but the further they went, the more unbearable Fen found their secrecy to be. Before disclosing anything though, there was something he wanted to gauge.

"Savi, who do you think's the most knowledgeable Pokémon in Sanguin Town?" he asked.

"Most knowledgeable?" Savi considered aloud. "I'm not the best 'mon to ask, but I'd probably say Faoz. She seems to know everything."

That made sense to Fen, given the Floatzel processed all the information about different Pokémon's jobs and whereabouts. Plus, she owned plenty of Kyunn maps, and while she might not have drawn them herself, she probably had a fair input into the process.

_Running her lodgings-guild place must be a hell of a job,_ Fen realised.  _Keeping track of who's staying, sorting out missions, managing the finances… no wonder she looks exhausted whenever we run into her._

"Why do you ask exactly?" Savi probed.

"Well, I'm… looking for someone," Fen said carefully. "I don't know exactly where to find them, but I think it'll be somewhere beyond Sanguin Town."

Savi slowed his walking for a moment and turned towards him. He looked confused, seemingly taking Fen's words to mean they were leaving the town for some time. "This is quite out of the blue, isn't it?"

Fen was glad to be moving, albeit slowly, else he would have been twisting himself in knots of discomfort. He stuttered, unsure how to answer. "Yeah, well…"

"We were planning to leave after this mission," Ryu chipped in. "We just didn't want to say yesterday. Thought we should concentrate on one thing at a time."

Fen raised his eyebrows at Ryu's dishonesty.  _I suppose it's a better excuse than whatever I would've come up with… though it doesn't feel great to be lying to Savi._

Savi contemplated this for a while. "Hey, you can always come with us!" Fen offered. "Though… we'll need to work out where we're going first."

In his peripheral vision he noticed Ryu glance quizzically at him as if to ask, 'are you sure?' Fen couldn't judge whether that was because Ryu didn't entirely trust Savi - which seemed illogical given how well he'd fought the previous day - or that he was more concerned about the amount of secrets they were currently keeping from him.  _If Savi did come with us, I think I'd have no choice but to tell him who I am and what happened to me,_ Fen thought. _If we're a team, we shouldn't be hiding anything._

Savi still didn't seem too thrilled at the idea. He eventually answered, "Let's see what Faoz says, if that's who you're talking to."

* * *

They arrived back in town just as the sun was reaching its peak. The short grass here was also damp underfoot, and many of the wood-made homes greeting them looked to still be drying off, water dripping off the edges of roofs. Fen had questioned the wisdom of wood as a construction material before, so he couldn't help feeling a little smug as he overheard murmurings around town of some residents' roofs soaking through.

_Looks like the storm we experienced passed through the Sanguin Town too._ And this was after Cyan had told him that anything other than mild weather in the town was a rarity. Nothing looked to have collapsed, which suggested the storm that had hit, if it even was a storm rather than just rain showers, couldn't have been very serious; or at least not as strong as it had felt in the mountains. Still, it strengthened his suspicions that the recent peculiar weather wasn't mere coincidence.

They agreed to seek out Faoz before doing anything else. With Savi helpfully being a better navigator of the town than either Fen or Ryu, he led them to the guild in no time, through a series of twisting, poorly laid-out alleyways. However, Faoz herself wasn't present at the entrance desk, nor her daughter Buin. The whole desk was bare.

"Hmm," Savi mused. "I've never been at the guild this time of day. She might be in her back room?" He gestured to a door just behind the desk which, as Fen was now used to seeing, operated on a no-handle system.

Ryu gingerly pushed the door open, and they were met with a surprising sight. Faoz and Buin were both present, but they were soundly asleep, passed out on a furry rug that looked strangely… damp, and surely not very comfortable. There was a smaller desk here, stuffed with piles of small, scruffy papers as well as several handfuls of coins messily dumped on the side. Fen's eyes were curiously drawn to a corner of the room where a closed chest sat, being held shut by a metal seal. He noted it as a rare mark of privacy among the Pokémon he'd observed. Elsewhere, there was a low bowl filled with berries and roots; a travel bag that had a broken strap and numerous rips in the fabric; and hanging on one wall was a long yellow device, suspiciously similar in shape and length to the object Faoz wrapped around herself all day, though this one looked deflated.

The light streaming into the room didn't wake either of the pair, so Ryu slammed the bumps of his paws together a couple of times to make a piercing metallic clang.

"Ryu… why?" Fen asked in disbelief. "Isn't it rude to wake someone like that?"

Ryu shrugged. "It's midday," he said, as if that provided total closure.

A moment later, they heard Faoz growl an irritated-sounding "yes?" She didn't seem that angry at being woken, judging by the little reaction shown, but her sleepy frown suggested she wasn't happy about it either. She propped herself up on her stubby arms to get a better look at the three of them.

"Did you get back late from somewhere?" she asked, a little friendlier in tone.  _She must recognise us then,_ Fen noted. They all communicated a 'yes' in response. Fen cleared his throat to speak, and almost coughed out a little fire doing so. Luckily, it was only smoke.  _Shit, that was close._

"Sorry to wake you up like this Faoz," he began, "but could you help us out with something? There's a couple of questions that we thought you might know answers to, being as knowledgeable as you are…"

Faoz half-smiled at the complement. "I'll see what I can do. But we'd better talk outside here," she said, gesturing at a curled-up Buin for the reason why.

Back at the main desk, Faoz trudged to her usual seat behind it, while the three of them crowded awkwardly around the small space.

"Has it been busy here recently?" Fen asked, partly curious but also keen to gain some rapport with Faoz before he bombarded her with more serious questions. "I saw there was some rainfall recently if that contributed…"

Faoz chuckled shortly. "It's been madness," she said, shaking her head. It was still damp, but she didn't attempt to dry it. "There's been all sorts going on since that earthquake happened; it's like no one's brave enough to do their own jobs anymore. This place has had more mission requests in the last two days than I've ever known. In the end, a couple of hours ago, I had to say, 'no more'. Buin and I were up all night sorting them."

"Oh…" Fen murmured.  _I really feel bad for waking her now…_ "Do you think you're a bit… overworked here?"

"A bit!" she scoffed. "It's been hard work ever since I started the place up, you know. I suppose it was inevitable that a day like yesterday would come, but even so… I wished it didn't have to." She sighed, then swiftly moved on. "You're right, it did rain last night. Very unusual. Luckily most of the 'mon living here have houses either made of clay or with thatched roofs like this one, so it wasn't too catastrophic. I've no doubt it contributed to the surge of jobs, though."

She paused for a moment. "What did you want to ask?"

It was an unspoken agreement between Fen and Ryu that Fen would be doing the talking, if only for the fact that their whole enquiry was his own idea. Firstly, he wanted to gain some clarity on yesterday's events.

"So yesterday we went to a place called Hidden Wood. Before we went inside, there was a rainstorm which seemed really heavy and unusual for the area. When we did go in the wood, there was this weird mist covering the ground, and we got attacked by Ghost Pokémon, which we weren't told would be there…"

Faoz certainly had her interest piqued now. "Show me this place you went to?" she asked.

They unfurled the map and pointed out the circle drawn by Scout. She examined it closely, murmuring something about not knowing the name, before speaking.

"I don't think Scout lied to you about the 'mon he thought were in the wood. The thing about Ghosts is, they're not at all like the rest of us. They don't really live in defined habitats; instead they sort of 'float around', for lack of a better description. They bring a fog with them whenever they appear, and that same fog disappears when you defeat them. Plus, from what I know they're never anything approaching civil. They'll attack anyone they see."

Fen glanced over at Ryu, expecting him to be squirming with the subject matter, but was surprised to see him steely focused on Faoz. Ghosts were clearly a subject of intense interest to him.

"How do they appear in the first place?" Fen queried.

"No one's sure exactly," Faoz said. "They normally come out at night, and tend to favour caves or areas deprived of natural light."

Fen supposed the wood  _could_ meet that criteria, but it was tenuous.

"Ghosts appearing in response to a storm is certainly a new theory, though," Faoz continued.

"Do you think it's possible?" Fen asked.

"I can't think of a better reason for your encounter, so it could be." She frowned. "Sorry that you had to deal with them. Ghosts are horrible at the best of times."

Fen hadn't been sure himself on the idea that the storm had caused the Ghosts' appearance, but he thought it was useful to keep in mind. "It's fine. The other question I've got is… do you know much about Absol? Where we might find one, say…?"

Faoz's black eyes widened for a second, then stared fiercely back at Fen. "That's… a dangerous question to ask."

"What?" Fen stepped back, panicked. "Why?"

"I trust you know enough about Absol to know they're very rarely spotted, and for good reason? I've never met one myself, but I wouldn't go looking for them. Even among Darks, they're thought to be especially wild and hostile. Why would you want to find one?"

Fen was stunned for a few seconds. In a few short sentences, Faoz had indirectly told him, clear as day, that the plan he'd hatched yesterday was a very bad idea. She had finished with more of a command than a question, but he had a stab at answering as confidently as he could.

"The earthquake, and the storms that have been happening… I think something's up with the world, somehow. I can't really tell you how, I just have this compulsion. I know Absol are supposed to warn other Pokémon of natural disasters, so if there is something to learn, I thought they would be the most likely source of answers."

Faoz nodded slowly, seeming to understand, but she still gave him a sceptical look. "You're right about Absol," she said. "I know what their supposed abilities are. But why do you think something's 'up with the world', just because of a few unusual events? This is nature we're dealing with. It's not ours to try and understand."

_Wow. That's… a very different opinion to the one I remember,_ Fen thought.  _It fits with what I've learned about Pokémon, though, being very appreciative of nature. Natural science isn't given much consideration in their culture._

Faoz seemed pretty set on her position, so he thought better than to try and dispute it. Instead, he asked: "Do you know where we might find an Absol anyway?"

Faoz sighed heavily, but her thin smile suggested she was entertained, and possibly impressed, by his persistence. "The only place I can think of is Darkrai's Knot."

"What?!" Savi and Ryu surprised Fen by both exclaiming in unison. Savi certainly sounded more fearful at the name.

Fen looked around at them, confused. "Darkrai's Knot?"

"The most dangerous place on the island?" Savi asked him disbelievingly. "That's inside the biggest peak, right at the edge? Didn't your parents tell you about it… like never to go near it?"

_Even if they did, which I doubt, I wouldn't know it…_ Not for the first time, Fen felt a pang of guilt about how much he was hiding from Savi. "I guess not," was all he could manage in response.

"Well, Savi's already explained what I was going to point out," Faoz said. "Darkrai's Knot is a huge web of tunnels, built into a side of Glyciak Mountain, the highest known peak in Kyunn. It's where most Darks reside, which by logic means Absol should live there too. Darks are probably the toughest family of 'mon there is, which is why they tend to gather in such a hard-to-reach location."

"Why's it got such a… foreboding name?"

A smile flashed across Faoz's face. "To my knowledge, it comes from Darkrai being an inducer of nightmares for those it attacks. That's in legend, anyway. And because Darkrai's supposed to be a Dark himself. No one really believes Darkrai lives inside, but the name should give you an idea of what to expect. I haven't been there myself, but I know it's precarious land."

"Okay…" Fen nodded slowly.  _Man, am I really considering this? Am I crazy? Well, I've gotten this far… may as well ask the next question._ "If we wanted to get there, how would we do it?"

Faoz considered for a moment, then put one of her hands on the map, and began sketching out a path with her paw. "To avoid having to climb the whole mountain in one go, I'd suggest you cross the smaller peaks on your way there. That would take you through Horizon, the Ractyl Belt, Arkan…"

"Arkan?" Fen repeated. "The volcano?"

"Aye, it sits in the middle of that big southern mountain range." She pointed out the vibrantly illustrated volcano on the map. "Look, directions won't be the biggest problem for you here; it'll be the journey itself. Very few 'mon travel past Arkan, for good reason."

Fen nodded. "Do you… know anything else about that area, other than the geography?"

"I didn't mark anything on the map you have," Faoz said. "But in the mountains I'd expect to see Rocks, Flyers, maybe Fires… the heights Glyciak reaches means there could be some Ices there too. Also-" she paused for a moment, looking uncertain. "No, I don't think that's a problem."

"Huh?" Fen prompted her.

"I was just going to add, in the harsher conditions there'll be more predators than around these parts. But I don't think either of you are in danger."

Fen stared at her in disbelief. "You're saying we might get hunted?"

"No!" she asserted, waving her arms for emphasis. "If any of you were a Bug, a fish or a Common, I wouldn't let you go, but you're not. You'll be attacked because 'mon are territorial like anywhere else, but that's all. Don't worry about it."

Fen glanced to Ryu for reassurance, finding him nodding in agreement with Faoz. Noticing his worried look, Ryu turned and whispered in his ear, "She's right, 'mon. I was taught the same thing. Trust us, yeah?" For now, Fen supposed he would have to do just that, but the talk of predators still made him anxious.

"Sorry I can't help you more," Faoz added, as his attention returned to her.

Fen shrugged it off. "You've been really helpful. Thank you."

Faoz smiled. "If you do decide to leave here, let me know before you disappear. Hardly anyone does… it's a nightmare to try and organise, especially given how busy I am now."

"Going to leave…?" he realised then that Faoz was talking about her guild. He'd almost taken the place for granted in the short time he and Ryu had been staying. "I'll come back when I know," he said shortly. Faoz seemed happy with that.

Meeting concluded for now, Fen, Ryu and Savi stepped out onto the grass outside.

"Before you say anything," Savi spoke first, "I… I can't believe you're really planning this, Fen! You're insane to try and make it to Darkrai's Knot… and for what cause? Trying to find a Pokémon that might not even live there? Trying to figure out the cause of these… weather events? It's the  _weather_!"

Fen looked at him sadly, not entirely surprised by his reaction. "Savi, I-"

"I'm sorry, but nothing you say is going to persuade me," Savi said defiantly. In a quieter voice, he muttered, "And even more so because you'll be going through mountains…"

"You don't like them?"

Savi hummed a grumpy-sounding 'yes'. "They're just… I don't know, too high up? And there's not enough grass and plants and stuff around… it sounds stupid, but I just can't deal with them." As he spoke, Savi's posture had shrunk to the point where his head was almost touching the ground. He looked a little ashamed about his admission.

His refusal to travel saddened Fen greatly. In the short time he'd known Savi, he'd grown huge admiration for the Grass 'mon; his generosity in sharing supplies, his determination when lost in the forest, when Fen would've found it easy to give up. His general spirit and attitude to their work had been unrivalled.

"Don't apologise," Fen consoled him. "You've been amazing. I totally understand."

Savi smiled weakly at him. "Thanks 'mon."

Fen turned to Ryu. "What do you think?"

Ryu smirked. "It does sound pretty 'insane', as Savi put it… but I'm not against going. I reckon we should talk to Scout, then see where that leaves us."

Fen hummed in agreement, glad to at least have some support. "Good idea."

* * *

The walk to the Linoone's hut down the streets of shops reminded Fen of the events that transpired the last time he was here. The Pokémon disguised as Savi that attacked him, suspected him of being involved with humans, and then ran off before he could understand what had prompted her… he felt uneasy thinking about it. After all, if she could disguise herself as an Ivysaur, could she disguise herself as  _anything?_ And by that logic, how did he know that  _any_  of the Pokémon he'd spoken two these last two days hadn't just been her in disguise-

His foot caught on a stray rock jutting out of the grassy path, making him stumble slightly. At least it brought his thoughts back to reality.  _I've got enough to worry about already,_ he reasoned. He expected a snarky comment from Ryu in response to his trip, but thankfully found the Riolu's eyes were only fixed thoughtfully into the distance.  _Maybe he didn't notice._

The market street was quiet, as they passed only the occasional person carrying bags of food or talking quietly with friends. Fen was reminded of what Faoz had said - 'no one's brave enough to do their own jobs anymore' - and on this evidence, she was right. The time of day meant most of the guild occupants would be out of town completing those jobs that all these  _less brave_  Pokémon weren't willing to. He couldn't blame them for preferring the safety of their homes, though.

Scout was in exactly the same position as when they met him two days ago: leaning against the door to his hut, eyes closed, mouth open, limbs sprawled on the ground. Ryu retrieved the scarf from his bag before giving an impatient knock on the storefront, which Fen could've sworn produced a smirk on Scout's face as he blinked his eyes open. Upon recognising the three of them he suddenly gained some urgency, leaping to the counter where they stood.

"What happened?" he asked quickly. "You've… been gone over a day. Did everything go all right?"

The three of them deliberated for a moment, before deciding on giving Scout as honest an account of yesterday's events as possible. Fen reasoned that it only seemed right for Scout to hear their struggles given he had sent them to the wood. When they reached the point where Fen put on the scarf, Scout was forced to interrupt.

"You actually  _wore_ it?" he asked Fen, a hint of concern in his voice. "How was it?"

"Uh…" Fen initially struggled with such a vague question. "I seemed to predict how the Zubat were going to attack in advance of them doing it… and could easily dodge out of the way as result."

"Mm," Scout nodded. "Evasion. That's what the scarf does. Quite amazing, huh?"

_So_ that's _what the ability's called!_ "It did help us fight them off… but once an attack  _did_ hit me, I seemed to lose all my energy and could barely move. When I took the scarf off I regained some of it, so I wondered…"

"You're right," Scout interjected. "Wearing any scarf will put a much greater strain on your body due to the powers they give you. I've found that you do get more used to the energy strain if you wear scarves frequently, but it's an unfortunate side-effect of using them, and the reason why you don't see them worn very often. Still, you must've-"

"Why didn't you tell us this before?!" Fen snapped at him abruptly. "That's surely the one thing we  _had_ to know about scarves, and you just let me think they were these… insane things that gave you powers with no drawbacks! Were you  _trying_  to hurt us?"

After his last comment, Scout's whole demeanour changed. His sky-blue eyes widened angrily at Fen, and he rammed one of his bi-clawed paws into the counter. Leaning forwards until his snout was merely inches from Fen's face, the latter having to fight against the urge to recoil in fear.

"Don't  _ever_ accuse me of that again," Scout hissed at him through clenched teeth. "If my intention was to hurt 'mon, do you really think I'd still own this shop? Hm?" He held his furious gaze, seemingly expecting Fen to answer the rhetorical question.

"No…?" Fen said shakily, unable to fully meet his eyes. "I apologise, Scout."

At this, Scout drew himself away from Fen again, his aggression evaporating. He mumbled "Mew" several times to himself before slumping his head heavily on the counter, eyes fixed downwards. He seemed disappointed with himself, staying in this position for a considerable time, during which Fen, Ryu and Savi silently exchanged various uncertain looks. Eventually Scout raised his head, though he didn't lift it off the surface. "In hindsight," he murmured, "I was totally wrong. You should've known the risks of scarves, even if your job was only to find one and bring it back."

"But… why didn't you tell us?" Fen repeated to him, with far less hostility. He wasn't sure what to make of Scout's recent behaviour. At least he seemed sorry.

"Because…" Scout sighed. "I'm a shopkeeper. My job is to sell these things. I'm going to emphasise the positives about scarves to try and attract your interest, then if you're still willing to buy, I'll make sure you're clear on the risks of them before you do. You three," he said, lazily poking a claw to their group, "are an exception since you weren't buying a scarf to wear, only looking for one. I also had no idea that the wood would become as beset with Ghosts as you describe, and so never thought the scarf would be  _necessary_ for you to merely be able to walk out unharmed."

He brooded for a moment, before adding: "It's such rough luck, what happened in the wood… I would never have sent you there if I knew. And…" His eyes flicked to Fen. "What's your name, Chimchar?"

Fen raised his eyebrows at the question. "Fen," he muttered, still annoyed at Scout. He better understood his reasons for not telling them about the scarves, but it still reeked of deception and poor ethics to him.

"Fen." Scout spoke slowly. "I should be the one apologising. You're perfectly justified to be angry with me. Now…" He paused, addressing the three of them again. "Do you still have the scarf?"

"Yeah," Ryu said coldly, evidently as displeased as Fen felt. He dropped it on the counter for Scout, whose eyes lit up upon seeing his treasure returned.

"Oh, awesome! Thanks so much. Let me uh… grab your reward real quick…"

He dove into the hut behind the store, clumsily fixing the wooden door shut. The muffled bangs and scuffling from inside gave Fen a strong feeling that Scout wasn't the organised type. When he did emerge again, he walked solely on his hind legs, slightly hunched. One of his paws clutched two small pouches which bulged with whatever was stowed inside. Fen found the sight of an obviously quadrupled creature moving on two feet rather disconcerting, but made no comment.

"I'll be honest," Scout said, "I wasn't originally going to reward you this much. But like I said: I feel guilty about what's happened, and for getting the scarf back despite all of your struggles, I really owe you one. So… let's see what's in here, eh?"

He emptied both bags out onto the counter. The first contained berries, the second seeds. Scout ran through them quickly, for the second time now, so they wouldn't be mixed up – he emphasised to them the importance of knowing their items' appearances, especially for the seeds. Fen could tell from his enthusiasm how much Scout loved this part of his job.  _I'd feel pleased if I was an expert on so many rare items, too._

"To summarise," Scout finished, "you've got three orans, two lums, two leppas, then one of each seed: sleep, stun, quick, blast and violent. And, since I heard you're meant to split something with the guild-" He produced a pawful of gold coins, dropping it with their items. "-here's 1000 poké on the side. So… there you are. Hope that's enough of a gift for your troubles. It's certainly a valuable one."

While Ryu just stood open-mouthed, Fen had no idea how to begin to respond. He had expected something good, but to this scale…  _how much is this bundle even worth? It must be… thousands of poké! Scout really was sorry…_

"Holy shit," Ryu muttered, echoing Fen's thoughts, before he burst into ecstatic laughter. "Aaaaaah! I can't believe this! Whatever you said before Scout, or didn't say, we totally forgive you. You're a hero!"

Scout chuckled. "Don't mention how you got hold of it all, yeah?" he winked at them, then started loading the goods back into the pouches for them to carry. He looked well back to the mischievous seller Fen had thought him to be previously.

While Ryu and Savi were looking away, Fen said quietly to Scout, "I… should apologise too. I overreacted earlier."

"Hmph," Scout smirked. "I get it, we're all a bit wild sometimes. No hard feelings, right?"

"Uh… yeah. No hard feelings," Fen forced a smile, but he found the meaning of Scout's offhanded comment slightly disturbing, if he interpreted 'wild' as in the Pokémon sense. Then he remembered how he'd acted towards Savi when confused: growling, attacking with little reasoning, essentially behaving like any wild Pokémon would do. Scout had a point… but for the sake of his mental stability, Fen thought it best not to dwell on those thoughts.

"What do think of this?" he asked Ryu, re-joining them.

Ryu smiled and shook his head, still in awe of what they had. "I'm 110% down for finding some Absol now! I take it you're still wanting to go?"

The question came at him unprompted. Considering everything Faoz had said, Fen knew their prospective journey would be dangerous, probably far more so than he'd dared expose himself to thus far. Yet Scout had given them greater resources than he could've ever hoped for, and even considering the hazards of going, in the back of his mind there lurked a razor-sharp conviction that somehow, this was the  _right thing to do._ A few days ago he might not have relied so much on his gut feeling, but he acknowledged that he was a Pokémon now and with that it was normal, maybe even recommended, to trust what his instincts told him.

Ryu was still looking expectantly. "I… I think so," Fen replied finally. Ryu gave a cheer of delight, slapping him on the back for good measure.

Fen didn't ask Savi, but the Ivysaur sensed what he was implying, stating: "I'm sticking by what I said."

Fen expected the decision, but it made him aware of an unfortunate situation Scout had now placed them in. With Savi leaving their team, they needed to find a way to split their earnings fairly for him.

Savi was dismissive when he brought the issue up. "Oh, you can keep all that stuff," he answered breezily.

"What?" Fen stared at him. "Come on man, you deserve at least half of these rewards for how good you were yesterday."

Savi looked at him oddly. "What did you just call me?"

It took Fen a moment before realising his mistake.  _Crap! I need to stop speaking like humans… why do 'man' and 'mon' have to be such similar words? And how many times have I got them mixed up before?_

"Uh, nothing," he said quickly.  _Great cover up, too. Ugh._

"Okay, well… if you two are going on this mad journey you're planning, you'll need those items more than me, right?" Savi posited.

Fen was about to object again, but Ryu spoke first. "What if we just gave you the money and we take the items? I don't think we'll be needing much poké now we're leaving."

Savi frowned. "Don't you need to buy food?"

Ryu paused. "Maybe a little, but we're going through Cheri Forest, where it's basically a free market. We won't need to spend much."

"Ah." Savi nodded in understanding. "If you're happy to give me the rest, then that's great."

"'Course," Ryu said, seeming to agree on Fen's behalf as well. Fen couldn't help feeling guilty about leaving Savi with such an unrepresentative measure of his contribution, given their items were worth far more than 1000 poké. From a selfish viewpoint though, they  _were_  likely to find the items more useful for the reason Savi identified.

They went to the food stalls run by Vigoroth, buying four apples – 'simply the best fruit,' Ryu argued – then gave the rest of their money, still a sizable portion, to Savi. There was an awkward pause between them as Fen expected the time was right to say goodbye, and Savi seemed to have the same idea. "I guess I'll leave you here," the Ivysaur said. He surprised Fen by cracking two vines from his bud and holding them out for him and Ryu.

Fen held his hand out to the vine and glanced at Savi quizzically, who laughed. "Yeah, take it. This is how we greet fellow Grasses, and friends. Shame neither of you have vines of your own, really."

He clutched the vine two-thirds of the way up, and found it wrap around his arm, like a handshake did, in a firm but friendly way. The warmth of the gesture made him smile.

"Good luck with the guild work," Fen said to him.

Savi chuckled. "You're the ones I need to wish good luck to. But thanks. Whenever you come back, I'll buy you a smoothie or something from the café up the road."

"Sounds good." Fen thanked him again before they departed. He appreciated Savi's optimism that they would return to Sanguin Town, but felt about as certain about that as if he were predicting a coin toss.

They refilled their water in a stream at the town's edge, sorted everything into their now weighty rucksack, and then went back to see Faoz. Fen had forgotten that half their money would be split with the guild; when Faoz reminded them, he felt even more guilty about leaving Savi short-changed. It was too late to change his mind regardless. When they told Faoz of their decision, she too wished them good luck, though the wary look she gave saying it didn't fill Fen with too much optimism. She did at least map their route properly in ink with one of her paws.

Before they left the guild, he felt compelled to take one last look around the place that, for as long as his new memory had existed, he had come to know as home. Leaving it filled him with uncertainty about how they would be sleeping and sheltering each night.

Admittedly, there wasn't much to see inside; there was the room they had slept in, which was deserted for the first time Fen could remember, owing to the time of day. All that remained in the bare room were the hay beds they slept on and the fire-lizard torches hanging on the walls. Those looked sad without the flames inside them he was used to. Off a sudden whim, he breathed a wisp of fire into one, and though the flame was small it was enough to set the torch alight. He allowed himself a moment of pride at his hardly-considerable efforts.  _Cyan would be proud._

"Are you done here?" Ryu asked, apparently not sharing the same attachment to their wooden shack.

Fen wasn't sure if 'here' referred to the guild or the whole town, but he assumed both. "I just remembered that there's one more person I want to see."

Ryu nodded. "Y'know Fen, I've been lenient with ya up until now," he said as they were walking out. "Given who you are and everything. But I thought you should know: you use some  _really_  strange expressions sometimes. Whatever a person is, it's not any 'mon I've heard of."

Fen laughed at first at Ryu's innocence, but after his earlier mix-up with Savi, it made him weary to think about all the dialectical errors he could have been making. "Forgive me,  _'mon_. I'll try and pay my language more attention."

Ryu chuckled. "Who are you seeing anyway?"

"Cyan."

If Ryu had eyebrows, Fen suspected he would've raised them. Instead his eyes just widened slightly. "She's that Fire you were fighting with a couple days ago?"

"Huh? I wasn't fighting with her…" Fen paused, realising Ryu's words were meant more literally than his natural interpretation. "Actually, I was. Never mind. There's something I wanted to ask her."

Having asked Cyan for directions to the guild from her house the previous time he was there, Fen tried to reverse them in his head. It was to some satisfaction, and a little surprise at being correct, that he did soon arrive at her fire clay house with jagged edges. He thought it ironic that they were leaving just when he might finally be finding his bearings in the town.

He knocked upon reaching the door and heard a pattering of legs before it was nudged open towards them. A small Growlithe was standing in the doorway.

"Heyo!" he said enthusiastically. "What's up 'char?"

Fen was momentarily thrown by the unexpected species, as well as the referral to him as 'Char'.  _He must've met a few Chimchar before…?_

"I'm, uh, looking for Cyan?" he said hesitantly. "Is she here?"

"Yeah, she's downstairs. One sec!" The Growlithe galloped back into the house, stopping at the top of the staircase Fen had gone down the last time he was here. "CY-AN!" he shouted, his voice making it come out like more of a bark.

There was a muffled exchange from beneath the stairs, before the Growlithe reappeared and turned back to Fen at the door. "Hey, come in 'char!" he said, as they got closer. "What's your name?"

Fen and Ryu duly introduced themselves.

"Cool! I'm Rowla," the Growlithe replied, nodding.

He immediately puffed a cloud of fire into the space between them. Fen remembered to do the same, but the result was still comparatively weak on his side. Rowla didn't seem to mind, though.

"…Cyan's brother," Rowla finished when the exchange was done.

Fen had forgotten or just hadn't realised, he wasn't sure, that two different parent species of Pokémon could breed, hence how a Growlithe and Quilava could be siblings. It seemed uncommon, at least from what he'd observed so far.

Cyan emerged shortly afterwards, her fur looking ruffled. Fen realised then that Rowla's was too.

"Hey Fen!" she said brightly, sounding slightly out of breath. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," he smiled, her cheerfulness rubbing off on him. "Yourself?"

"Heh, well… I had the day off work, so you would  _seem_  to catch me at a good time, but you interrupted our fighting, so I don't know. Is there something you wanted?"

_She sure loves fighting…_ "There is. I've got a question that I hoped you could explain, if that's alright." He couldn't resist asking another in the meantime. "What work do you do?"

"Oh, I just help out at the day-care in town," Cyan explained briefly. "It's okay, only every other day so not too taxing. Plenty of time for the important stuff, right?" She gestured to him to come in, leaving the nature of 'important stuff' ambiguous, though judging from her recent activities, Fen could hazard a guess.

He'd hardly had a glance at the upstairs of Cyan's house the last time he'd visited, and now he remembered why; it was essentially one compressed room. It looked like everything fixed in the interior was made of clay: a half-open cupboard revealed a tasty looking food collection, while there was a raised platform near it, blackened almost everywhere due to what he assumed were heat burns.  _I suppose… they cook things there?_  Trying to imagine a Fire Pokémon cooking anything with their own flames conjured an strange image in his head.

A couple of rucksacks lay near the door, one of which had a coin pouch next to it, and to their right stood a round table that was oddly bereft of chairs or anything else to sit on. Nothing was painted either, but Fen realised the rustic grey colour did a good job masking the burn marks that were present all over the floor and walls, as well as the platform. It gave him a wisp of reassurance.  _I guess Cyan and the others weren't always so good at controlling fire._

Cyan invited them to sit down at the table - or rather, sit on the floor next to it. Luckily the table was low enough for him and Ryu to still see over, while Cyan deliberately crouched herself opposite so as to not tower over them. It occurred to Fen that the radical height differentiation that could occur between different species might be a reason for the absence of chairs. The floor was comfortable enough anyway.

"Who's this with you, Fen?" Cyan asked him, gesturing to Ryu.

Ryu gave his name. "Ah, now I remember you telling me," Cyan smiled. "What did you want to know?"

"Basically," Fen began, "I'm wondering about being exposed to water. I know it's bad because I feel it sting me whenever it rains, but how damaging is it, exactly?"

Cyan frowned. "It's on a large spectrum. A weak water attack or a bit of rain, as you said, will hurt a little bit but nothing more. A sustained, full-body exposure to water will eventually kill you, though."

Fen's eyes widened in shock, which Cyan noticed, quickly adding: "Sorry! I don't mean to worry you. A full-body exposure would only happen if you fell into the sea, or something of that nature. Rain isn't as dangerous as that – you can still  _breathe_ in rain, unlike underwater."

_Don't ever fall into any body of water,_ was the main message Fen gleaned from her answer. "Will water always be that bad?"

"Unfortunately, since fire literally burns inside of us, water exposure to our fur will always have an adverse effect. However, as you get more accustomed to the feeling of it – as bad as that sounds – you'll build up more of a resistance to it."

_That makes sense,_ Fen thought, thinking about how painful and energy-sapping rain had felt when he'd first woken up in Cheri Forest. Since then it hadn't felt quite as rough for him. "Uh… what if I was to fall asleep in the rain?"

After some thought, Cyan replied: "I don't think you would die, but it would hurt an awful lot, and you'd wake up very cold."

"I'd be cold?" he queried.

"Yes. Too much water can overwhelm the radiated heat on our fur that keeps us warm. I guess you're not used to that feeling?"

Fen considered, then shook his head.  _I'd never even considered it, but it's true: I haven't felt cold at all for the time I've been like this. One perk of being a Fire Pokémon, I guess._

"Well… if you ever do feel like that, all I can say is that you'll warm up eventually. It won't be a great experience." She ruffled her fur a little. "Are you planning to be sleeping outside for a while?"

Fen exchanged an uncertain look with Ryu. "Probably," he said. Suddenly getting an idea, he added, "We're travelling to Arkan."

Her eyes lit up, this appearing to interest her greatly. "Wow… why's that, if I may ask?"

"I… think it might be able to help me with what I told you about," Fen said carefully. "It's probably a long shot, but-"

"No, no, I think it's a great idea! You'll really love it there. It's a long way though, so you're right to have your concerns. Do you have a good method of creating shelter, like digging?"

Fen and Ryu exchanged looks. "I can smash rocks open," Ryu said. "But I tried digging yesterday. It didn't go well."

"Hmm. Rock smashing is good I suppose… but I wonder if…" she paused in thought and examined Fen closely. "I'll be back in a moment." She promptly scurried off on all fours down into the basement.

Ryu looked over at Fen. "Good lying," he smirked.

Fen scowled at him. "It's not wrong, in fairness. We are passing through the volcano…"

"Pfft, I know. I was complimenting ya," Ryu replied impishly.

Fen shrugged his banter off, turning his thoughts to what Cyan had said about Arkan. He was intrigued, and a little excited, by how complimentary she had been. Cyan had explained that it was a habitat solely for Fire Pokémon, which suggested it was well suited to their specific physiology. And as much as he disliked the fact that his basic instincts could have such a large impact on his mood, he couldn't deny that when they  _were_  satisfied, such as when he'd been in the sun earlier, it felt wonderful.  _Another good reason for travelling,_ he supposed.

Cyan came back shortly afterwards with what looked like a furry blanket. "Some time ago, I made the same journey as you're about to, though I started  _from_ Arkan and ended up here. My dad made this for me to wear when it was raining. I know you're not a Cyndaquil like I was, but hopefully your body shape fits similarly. You might have to poke a hole for your tail or something…" she smiled at the thought. "And it may not be completely fireproof, but so much water has been soaked into it over the years that it must be nearing that point."

She passed it to Fen, who was surprised at how rough the material was. He deduced that it was from the skin of a Pokémon, but then… what? On second thoughts, he wasn't keen on knowing the species. The fact it kept out the rain felt more important.

There were arm holes already cut into the skin, so he pulled it over his own, shaking himself a little to get a feel for it. The skin was… well, he couldn't call it comfortable, as the sensation of its fur rubbing against his own was strange, and he sensed he would become awfully itchy the longer it was worn. But it certainly felt warm, and if it kept him dry too, it had to be worth keeping.

"Thank you, but… are you sure you want me to have this?" he asked Cyan.

"It's going to be a lot more use to you than me," she replied, as if that were obvious. "Consider it yours. It's not worth anything."

Fen understood and thanked her again. Once he had pulled the skin off, he said, "There's one other thing I wanted to talk about, kind of related. I'm… really scared of water… like of falling into it? Being near the sea terrified me."

"That's good! Your instincts must be working properly," she laughed. "I wouldn't worry about that fear, it really happens to all of us. It'll probably recede over time."

Fen took that to mean 'all of us  _Fires'_ – a crucial distinction. The answer gave a little positive nudge to his self-esteem. "Anything else you want to know?" Cyan asked, when he didn't prompt her.

Fen opened his mouth to say 'no', then reconsidered. "Do you know much about humans, Cyan?"

He could sense Ryu jolt with surprise next to him, and Cyan herself looked a little bewildered by the question. "Nothing, really…" she replied uncertainly. "Only that there aren't any in Kyunn. I can't say I know much of the world beyond here, but even if I wanted to, I believe we're a long way from any other island, and the sea itself is rather… impassable for you and I."

"I just heard a mentioning of them somewhere and was curious," Fen said hurriedly, eager to quash any suspicions. Asking the question itself was a snap decision, and he hoped he hadn't been too reckless. It at least confirmed what he'd already suspected about their geography: Kyunn was miles from any other isle or region.

Luckily, Cyan appeared to shrug off the question just as easily as him. "Will you be leaving right away?" she asked.

Fen exchanged a look with Ryu. "There's nothing else for us to do in the town," he said. "So… yes." They had a route to follow, heaps of supplies from Scout and now something to protect himself against the rain. He could scarcely believe how well-prepared they were.

As they made a move towards the door, Cyan called out: "Fen, could you just… come over for a second?" Unsure why she'd ask, Fen did so anyway. She stood on all-fours now, at his eye level, then nudged her head very close to his.

"It's a difficult journey you're taking on, so please… take care of yourself," she said quietly. "I know how hard your situation must be… I'll be thinking of you all the way, alright?"

Cyan reached her fore legs out towards him, and though this felt a new situation for Fen, he intuitively knew what to do, returning the hug with his arms. As his head rested on her shoulder, he found the feeling of being held like this… amazing. Her fur felt so soft, so  _warm,_ the comfiest material he could imagine. He got a faint scent of ash from it, which was a bonus.

_I'd wondered if there was a reason why I'd seen Pokémon huddled together so much,_ he thought, remembering how it was inside the room they'd slept in the guild.  _Maybe because it feels this nice._ The close contact made him feel unexpectedly sad at having to leave Cyan for so long, despite their brief time of knowing each other.

"I'll tell you all about the trip when we come back," he suggested as they left, looking to put an optimistic spin on things.  _And I really hope I'm able to,_ he added silently.

Cyan smiled at the thought. "I look forward to it. Fight well out there!"


	9. The Dark

Fen hadn't realised at first, but the route Faoz had drawn for them took them back up to Mt. Horizon, effectively a reverse of the way they'd travelled into Sanguin Town. Even with their natural climbing abilities the route up was long and tiring, taking them deep into the evening. He didn't complain when Ryu suggested camping overnight in a rock before moving into Cheri Forest tomorrow. It gave him another chance to admire the view of the grasslands below that the mountain was presumably named after. It was still as breathtaking as he'd remembered it six days ago, albeit slightly diminished by the dim light they were in.

Past the forest they would arrive at Ractyl's Belt, which Faoz had briefly mentioned. Ryu explained that it was a clump of smaller mountain peaks that a lot of mountain-dwelling Pokémon made their habitats in. Hearing him speak with obvious knowledge of the area, a thought occurred to Fen.

"Ryu, does this route take us past where your family lives?" he asked as they sat inside a rock. The ones here were comfortably more spacious than what they'd had to make do with near Hidden Wood.

Ryu seemed to tense up at the question, a half-eaten apple stopping en-route to his mouth. "Yeah… kind of."

His uncharacteristic hesitance surprised Fen. "Are you… planning to visit them?" he prompted when Ryu didn't say anything more.

Ryu looked at him for a moment. "I'll explain when we get there," he said brusquely. "We've got the whole forest to travel first, which'll be at least two days."

_Explain what?_ Fen frowned, unsure why Ryu was so keen to brush the subject under the carpet.  _Something seems to be bothering him… something to do with his family? I don't remember him mentioning anything bad about them… he said he left home to explore more of the world, and we're certainly doing that now. I thought he'd be pleased to have the chance to see them again; at least that's what I'd think if I…-_

The thought of family unexpectedly struck an emotional chord within him, making his chest ache with longing.  _If I had the chance to see my family… if I_   _even have one now…_

He shook his head.  _No. It's too easy to think about everything I don't know. I've managed so far, and if we're going to achieve anything out here, I can't let myself get dragged down by my own thoughts. This wasn't even about me!_

Sensing something, he glanced up to find Ryu looking concernedly at him, wordlessly asking "what's up?" It wasn't the first time he'd noticed Ryu instantly pick up how he was feeling.  _His instincts, or whatever it is, really are sharp,_ Fen noted.  _But… what do I say to him?_

"Sometimes I can't help but dwell on what might've happened to me," he said. "Despite me knowing that it's not worth the effort. Feeling bad about it won't help with anything. It's just… always in the back of my mind."

Ryu nodded. "I understand."

Though he appreciated Ryu's empathy, Fen didn't want to leave them on such a sombre note. "Uh… you know these items we have?" he asked, as it was a genuine enquiry he wanted to make.

"Uh-huh?" Ryu said eagerly, the question alone making him brighten up.

"Did Scout ever mention what a leppa berry did? I can't remember…"

"Oh, I've used them once or twice. They're a bit like… so for me, if I use a force palm a lot, after a while the energy I'm using for it decreases until I need either a rest or to use a different technique. It's a bit like being tired, but in a more specific way? A leppa's a bit like an oran in that it heals you, but only for that particular technique."

"So I could use it after breathing a lot of fire?"

"Yeah! You'd find it more useful than me I think, since you don't know as many different techniques. I wouldn't buy 'em normally, but y'know how Scout was giving stuff away, I wasn't gonna turn it down."

"Mm." Another idea entered his thoughts. "With the items in general… I think we should use them sparingly. We don't know how long this journey will be, and I don't want us to waste a good berry or seed too early, if that makes sense."

Ryu considered this momentarily. "Alright," he shrugged, closing any debate. "I was doing some thinking too. D'you remember what Cheri Forest was like when we were here before? Filled with loads of Bugs and Grasses?"

Fen nodded. " _Well…_ ," Ryu went on, "I thought you might appreciate some fighting practice! See, I was easy on you last time, since you barely knew how to contract your own claws-"

"Hey, I knew that!" Fen retorted.

Ryu chuckled. "Anyway, I think you should be trying to fight as much as possible, bring your skills up, y'know? While we've still got the chance. We're… not really on the same level in that regard."

"Nice way of putting it," Fen murmured jokingly. "But you're right. I don't want to have to hang onto your coattails this whole journey."

"Hang onto what?" Ryu asked, suddenly bemused.

"Oh, uh… human expression. Doesn't matter. I mean that I don't want to be relying on you, or Savi, in combat like I have been. And like you say, last time there were plenty of wilds here to fight, and I have a type advantage on most of them, so it should be the perfect place to train…"

"Spoken like a true 'mon," Ryu grinned.

* * *

Having packed everything the previous day, little time was wasted preparing before beginning the hike through Cheri Forest. The morning light was soon dimmed by the towering, occasionally fruit bearing trees that came to surround them.

Since their starting point was at the forest's highest altitude, the first couple of hours were a relaxed downhill cruise for their feet. The narrow, roughly carved path they walked steered mostly clear of plant life, with occasional patches of brambles or ferns that needed pushing through, but it was hardly possible to see in any other directions due to the glut of plants filling every cavity. It was little wonder the place was crawling with Pokémon.

On Fen's first trip in the forest he'd been too preoccupied with figuring out his own body, amongst many other things, to take much notice of the scenery. Now, even though he supposed he should have some appreciation for the richness of greenery, it just didn't resonate with him. It made the forest feel overly cramped and confined, giving him no desire to remain any longer than they needed to. He guessed his body didn't find it mountainous enough. Ryu must have shared his opinion, judging by the pace of his walking whenever they weren't busy with wilds.

The weather remained clear and sunny, intensely so. They were under the shadows of trees most of the time, but Fen could feel the fierce heat whenever they weren't. He was happy for it though – he never felt too hot in this body, and the sunlight seemed to resonate with his fire-powers in a way he couldn't easily explain. He definitely found it easier to breathe fire than in previous days.

Wild Bug and Grass Pokémon could lurch out from the long grass around them, or drop from nearby trees, or burst out of the ground itself. Fen was pleased to find that he could out-speed the opposing species on almost all occasions. His own body was naturally athletic and agile, well suited to fast movement, in contrast to the feebly slow legs the likes of Seedot or Shroomish possessed, or in the cases of Bugs like Weedle or Caterpie, no legs at all. However, though he was making progress with fire-breathing, he still felt the power of his bursts were lacking. He had seen other Fires produce torrents of flames at a moment's notice, yet his own continued to present itself in small, wisp-like pellets. He didn't know enough about himself to know what he was doing wrong, working mostly off the crash-course Cyan had given him. Ryu had even less of an understanding about how Fire Pokémon worked, though he at least gave Fen some non-Fire related tips as the battles went on.

A few fallen trees still remained from the storm that had hit on their first visit. While they were an inconvenience during the day, Ryu eventually scouted one trunk propped up against a rock that he speculated might be thick enough for them to sleep under, protecting against any adverse weather that they were cautious of. It was somewhat hidden under long grass, about 50 yards from their path, and Ryu had walked half the distance when a slight rustling ahead made both of them freeze.

It sounded like something munching… on plants or grass, Fen assumed. Being the slightly taller of the pair, Ryu craned his neck to try and get a good look at the source, and swiftly ducked a moment later.

"It's seen us," he murmured. "A'you ready Fen?"

"Ready for-" he didn't have time to ask what, or even who the  _it_ in question was, as he saw a greenish, two-legged creature careering towards them, its head lowered to reveal a mushroom-like dome on top of it. It dove straight towards Fen headfirst, moving quicker than he would've expected, but he threw himself to the left in time, rolling over so it was easier to jump back up.

On his opposite side he heard Ryu call out: "Breloom are fast Fen, so don't mess about!"

_Like I was about to,_ he thought irritably. But Ryu was right in his cautioning; upon missing its target, instead of momentum taking the Breloom several feet forwards, it dug one of its clawed feet into the ground and swiftly spun to face him again.

His mind raced to strategize in such little time.  _So… if Breloom are Grass, it'll probably try and hit me with another neutral attack like that headbutt? If it does then I should be able to dodge it again, since I can't see it having any arms…_

His heart duly sunk when two short, bulky limbs emerged from the Breloom's waist, previously concealed by the frills just below its neck. With the creature possessing rangier legs than his own, he barely had enough time to spit some fire as it approached. That at least caused the Breloom to recoil as it cried a " _KAWW"_  in pain. Quickly though, it shook itself and hurled an arm towards him. He ducked under the fist, but its other arm followed it up and crunched into his chest, the impact knocking him into a tree a few feet away. The collision hurt less than the attack.

He gasped for a second to regain his breath, slumped against the tree trunk.  _Jeez, that thing can really punch. Fast, too._ A small distance now stood between him and the Breloom, but his opponent didn't let up, charging towards him for another flurry of attacks. Not wanting to blind himself by diving into long grass, Fen looked up. He was pleased to see what he did. There was a branch, hanging low enough for him to reach with a jump, but high enough that the Breloom wouldn't be able to touch him with its fists.

He leaped up just as the Breloom swung again, scrambling his body around the branch. The miss meant that its fist partly collided with the tree itself, which rocked with the impact but thankfully stood strong. The Breloom's eyes darted around the floor in search of him, totally oblivious.  _Heh, stupid wild,_ he thought gleefully.

He scurried along the branch until he was far enough to face the Breloom's back; then he breathed in and dropped, exhaling out fire as he fell. It was a close range hit, enough to make his foe shriek again, then whip its tail around as it realised where he was. He leapt backwards to dodge but was caught by the end of its tail, where a round fruit seemed to be growing. One such plant broke as it hit his face, leaving a thick, purple substance on him. He spat viciously as he tried to get the sludge out of his mouth. Whatever it was, it tasted vile.

He dashed to another tree in the packed area of woodland, looking to repeat the same strategy as before. The Breloom followed his trail but knew the trick this time, its gaze following Fen into the branches. It opened its mouth and began shooting a barrage of apple-sized seeds at him, which he was helpless to avoid in his perched position. They exploded upon impact, making him yelp in further surprise.

Despite the shock, the seeds didn't hurt as much as he'd feared. He had enough energy to raise his lower body, performing a makeshift handstand on a branch to avoid one seed. Instead the seed exploded on his raised branch, which swayed briefly before snapping off its roots. He could only fall with it.

With no better ideas, he opened his mouth to breathe more embers, but could only manage it briefly before landing knocked the fire out of him. The Breloom shook itself free of his feeble attempt, raised its arm in attack… then Ryu burst out of the shadows. Though it stood twice his height, he slammed into the Breloom with enough force to knock it flying, akin to how the Grass's punch had battered Fen. It looked wildly at Ryu for a second before scampering away, seemingly deciding to forage for food elsewhere.

That was barely an afterthought to Fen. The moment he had landed, his vision had spun and he became gripped with nausea, making him sway unsteadily. Ryu looked over cheerfully, but his face immediately became concerned as he saw Fen's condition.

"Fen?" he asked nervously. "What's up? Are you confused?"

"No…" Fen murmured. He could still see and hear somewhat clearly, so he knew that wasn't the cause. "I feel… really ill… I don't know why…"

"Uh…" Ryu examined him from where he stood. "Maybe it's poison?"

Fen wasn't able to respond. His vision flicked for a moment, then turned black. He felt himself lose balance, topple forwards, then he surrendered consciousness entirely.

* * *

He couldn't tell how long he had been out when he sensed a spiny, thin object brushing against his left cheek. Still feeling woozy, he opened his eyes and found his back propped up against a rock. It was a plant leaf being applied to his face, which Ryu carefully held in one arm.

"Oh, you're back," Ryu said flatly upon seeing him. The situation reminded Fen of how they'd first met in the same forest.

"I… don't like fainting." Fen's words were hoarse, and he winced as he ran his tongue over his parched mouth. His whole body felt limp.

"You've been unlucky," Ryu sighed. "I didn't know those things on the Breloom's tail were some kinda toxic fruits. Pretty sneaky tactic."

Fen nodded, realising from Ryu's description what had happened.  _So this fever is what it's like to be poisoned. After paralysis and confusion, I'd make this my least favourite ailment so far..._ "How long was I asleep?"

"Not long," Ryu answered. "I stuck you in the shelter here then looked around for a couple of leaves to clean off your poison with. It's nearly done, but uh…" He paused. "I'm gonna need to douse your face in water for a second."

"Why?" Fen asked. Ryu's foreboding manner plus his own recently acquired attitude to water made him suspect this experience wouldn't be pleasant.

Ryu gave him an irritated look as if he was unaware of an obvious fact. He quickly caught himself. "Poison affects you even when it's just on the skin," he explained. "You recover naturally from it, but it'll be quicker this way."

Once Fen gave him the go-ahead, Ryu took his water flask, screwed off the top, then poured a small amount onto the site of the poisoning. The poison's water exposure and the water itself both stung Fen, but he tried not to recoil as Ryu quickly took another clean leaf, scrubbed his cheek a bit, then turned the leaf over and wiped off the excess water with its dry side.

He passed Fen a firm, bright green berry. "This'll make you feel better, too."

Fen thanked him and took a bite without hesitation. He found the unknown fruit remarkably dull and tasteless, though that might've just been the poison dulling his senses. Once he'd taken a couple of chunks out of it, he sat back and allowed whatever healing processes were happening in his body to take over. He saw they were indeed under the tree shelter Ryu had wandered towards before the Breloom had interrupted them. He was sitting against the rock that the thick trunk had fallen against, casting a shadow over them. Hardly a perfect shelter, but he supposed it was good enough for one night.

After only a few minutes, his grogginess began to subside as he started to feel more like his energetic, Pokémon-self. The speed of healing still surprised him, despite Pokémon constantly subverting his recovery expectations. "That berry works wonders," he remarked to Ryu. He glanced at the two-thirds-eaten fruit beside him. "What kind of…"

Ryu looked quizzically at him as he trailed off. "Hm?"

"Is this… did you give me a lum berry?"

"Yeah?" Ryu shrugged. "Why'd you sound so surprised? That's the one that heals ailments, 'mon."

"But… they're valuable! Remember what I said yesterday about conserving items? We're only a day in and now there's only one of these left."

Ryu puffed out his cheeks. "Sorry that I didn't want to leave a poisoned, unconscious 'mon out in the middle of the forest on his own for an indeterminate amount of time, while I search for pecha berries that might not even be growing within a square Wailord of here. Mew, I'm tryna help you…"

Fen groaned inwardly at the response, equally as frustrated as Ryu. It seemed their disagreements would never cease, no matter how long they travelled together. "Look, I'm really thankful for your help. It's just that I'm worried about the size of the task ahead, and the more items we use the harder it'll be."

Ryu huffed. "You know what? If it makes you feel better, I can look for some pecha berries now before it gets dark. We need food anyway."

"Thank you," Fen said sincerely, ignoring the sarcasm in Ryu's response. He didn't feel like arguing. "Any way I can help in the meantime?"

"Fill up our water," Ryu said without hesitation. He tossed their almost dry flask over to him, then gestured left with his arm. "I'm sure the river's this way through the long grass. There aren't so many trees growing around the stream, so we should probably split up for a while to do both our jobs."

He was about to turn away, then paused. He spoke softer. "Fen… you know that you don't always have to fight, yeah? I wouldn't ever want to run away from a battle, but it is an option. If you wanted to conserve items or anything."

Fen remembered employing a 'get away from here' tactic just two days ago with Savi, having to leg it from the colony of Zubat they'd disturbed. He knew that with his body, he certainly  _could_ run. But a part of him worried that while he might flee now, there would surely be occasions in the future where the only path ahead was blocked by a wild. It wasn't a strategy he was keen to perfect. Still, he appreciated the advice from Ryu. "I'll keep it in mind," he said. Ryu simply nodded and started walking away.

_He seems a bit subdued,_ Fen observed.  _Could just be tiredness. He does carry the bag around all day, which must weigh a ton with a dozen berries and seeds, other food and water, the map and compass, and then the skin of some Pokémon for when it rains. I've never seen him complain about it, though... I guess he likes wearing it?_

His path to the river went undisturbed, breaking out into a small clearing as he got closer. He examined Ryu's flask properly for the first time. Despite only being a water container, it had clearly been crafted with care; the cylindrical shape had no irregularities, and little bumps in the top and lid allowed the latter to be screwed on with total precision. It wasn't made of plastic or metal, nor any other material Fen would have expected. The hardness and density of the dull, grey material suggested it had to be rock.  _Which makes sense if Ryu's family live in the mountains._ He smiled to himself.  _Looks like they have a lot of time on their hands_.

He found himself gazing at his own reflection in the water, still quite unused to how he looked; either the Pokémon on Kyunn didn't know how to craft mirrors, or he hadn't happened to pass any… or they just didn't see the need for them. There were still features of his appearance that irked him – the ridiculous proportions of his head and ears to the rest of his body; his strange orange head fluff that would continually stick up despite his efforts to flatten it; plus the general sense of impunity he felt at being, by his rough estimation, about two feet tall.

And yet, these drawbacks could be overlooked. He was small, yes, but the extremely low centre of gravity gave him greater agility and balance than any human he could imagine. He had quickly gotten used to his new body proportions, too. And he wasn't taking for granted the fact that he possessed two sets of limbs and five fingers on each hand – though sadly only three toes. When he thought about some of the species' that he could have been turned into instead of a Chimchar: Bugs that had to slither across the ground, Waters that could only survive beneath the surface, or anything that didn't walk like he was used to doing… he almost wanted to count himself lucky.  _It could have been far worse._

Once the flask was refilled and secured he moved his legs to stand up, but felt his right suddenly jerked back, making the flask drop from his hands. He whipped his head around then yelped as he found the source of the grip, almost falling backwards in shock.

A four-legged Pokémon, with primarily slate-grey coloured fur and intense turquoise eyes, was standing in front of him. He'd only seen her once before, but the image was burned into his mind. The one who'd ambushed him in Sanguin Town, disguising herself as Savi. The one who'd asked him how he knew about humans.  _What was she doing here?!_

"Hello again, Fire," she said, smiling wickedly.

Fen was already baffled at how she had found him in the depths of a random forest, yet her opening words puzzled him even more. She seemed more assured than when she'd attacked him in the town.

"That's… not how you greeted me the first time," he said nervously, his body awkwardly half-turned in her direction while his leg was held.

She shrugged. "I deduced after our last encounter that you're far weaker than me, so I didn't see the point in pinning you down like that again. Though seeing where we are now, I'd call this an equivalent situation, wouldn't you?"

A fresh injection of panic shot through Fen as he realised what she meant. He was pinned against the bank of a river deeper than himself. He assumed her grip to be too strong for him to pull away from, but if he did try attacking this Pokémon, or even attempt fleeing, it would only take a push from her to send him underwater. Remembering what Cyan had said about the damage full-body exposure to water could do, added to his own experiences of the element… it terrified him. He didn't have Ryu's protection, nor any of the items they carried, and a call for help would surely meet him with the same fate as those previous options.

"H-How did you find me?" he asked.

"I've been following you and your Fighter partner since I saw you leaving that town yesterday," she stated.

Fen's head was bursting with questions. "I don't… why didn't we notice you then?! And how were you  _just inside_  Sanguin Town? Taluk was looking for you after you were caught attacking me last time!"

She rolled her eyes. "I can answer both those questions easily. I created an illusion to disguise myself. That's also why the Electric never caught me in the first place."

Fen stared at her wide-eyed. "That's… what you did that time before, when you looked like Savi…? You disguised yourself as a different Pokémon? I've never heard of anything like that…"

"It's irrelevant detail," she snapped, suddenly impatient. "I followed you because I still have unanswered questions. You said you don't have any memories, but you know what humans are, which isn't normal of the 'mon around here. No humans live here, do they?"

Fen was momentarily thrown by the unexpected question. "No…?"

"So how do you know them?"

The question Fen had dreaded. This Pokémon already knew about his memories, so he couldn't see any alternative other than revealing the rest of his identity. He had no idea how she'd respond, but hopefully telling her would lead her to reveal who  _she_ was, or at the very least make her stop threatening him. He still harboured hopes that she might be able to help him in some way… though another part of him told him to stop being so naive.

"Once I tell you… you answer the same question for me," he proposed.

The Pokémon's scowl deepened. "I'll decide that once I hear your answer."

_Huh. Bargaining was always going to be tricky in this situation._ "Look… you have to believe what I tell you is true," he pleaded with her. "No matter how strange it might sound."

She looked at him oddly. "Fine. Just say your piece, Fire."

Fen gulped.  _Here goes…_ "You're right - I did wake up some time ago, with practically no memories of my previous life, other than my name. Despite that, I still know concepts of things that I'd presumably learned before. One of those things, one of the only things I can be sure about myself, is that, before I was  _this_ ," he gestured to his body, "I was a human. Somehow… I've been turned into a Chimchar."

She stared at him for a few moments, eyes quivering in disbelief. Her grip on his leg tightened, making him wince. "That's impossible!" she spat.

" _I know_!" Fen said, increasingly anxious. His neck ached with the strain of being turned for so long. "I really wish I knew how, and I ask myself that question every day! The fact is that I'm here now, and I have no doubt that I was a human. That's all I can tell you."

She considered this, then suddenly lurched her body forwards at Fen, putting her snout right against his face, making him feel the heat of her breathing. He was still held down, and hardly in a position to back away. "If you're so sure, then I suppose you're just as big a scum as the rest of those two-legged mutts, huh?"

"What?" he yelped. "What do you-"

"You wanted to know why I'm interested in you?" she asked, teeth bared at him. "Well, let me tell you… when I was a child I was captured, beaten, taken away from my home, my family… I lost everything dear to me. Can you guess who was responsible?"

Just then, Fen saw a movement in the corner of his vision. It was only faint at first, but it grew bigger by the millisecond. He recognised the figure immediately.

He'd never heard Ryu voice his own cry before. Such was his calmness and efficiency in battle situations, Fen supposed he'd never needed to use it, or merely chose not to. No semblance of calm emanated from him now as he howled at the grey Pokemon in furious barks. His paws were already raised, eyes blazing with anger as he sprinted towards them. No words were required to grasp his intention.

The grey Pokémon's ears twitched in response, but she didn't shift an inch, remaining intensely focused on Fen. "Can you  _guess_?!" she asked again, words dripping with malice.

"Please…" Fen gasped at her, heart pounding at his impending danger. "I'm on your side… I'm not-"

She spat at his feet. "It was you human  _bastards!_ "

She shoved him with the paw holding his leg, and while he scrambled to regain his balance, she loosed a cry as she swung her head into his ribs. The impact threw Fen off his feet, breath knocked out as he fell helplessly towards the water. There was a brief moment when his mind realised what it was faced with, bringing an involuntary scream out of him. Then he hit the surface.

Freezing liquid crashed over his mouth, instantly soaking his fur. The shock of so much exposure at once overwhelmed him. The stabbing pain he'd known from rainwater was magnified a thousand times. His flaming tail especially burned with agony like never before, feeling as if it would shatter into a million fragments. Any conscious thought was masked by pain. He thrashed around, barely in control of himself, just looking for  _something_ that would save him. With the water restricting his movement and rapidly draining his energy, those attempts were quickly fading.

The next moments happened in a blur. First there were a couple of muffled splashes nearby, then a pair of arms took hold of his waist firmly, ignoring his continued flailing of limbs. The body swiftly pulled him through the water, and he felt his right side bump against a hard surface. The figure holding him pulled itself up to the bank first, and with an almighty grunt that Fen could make out even in his pain, he too was lifted onto the grass.

The first thing he did was gasp for air, spewing out liquid from his mouth. Simply breathing something other than water was a relief. Then shook his head with all the energy he could muster in an attempt to dry himself.

The sudden return to land was almost as much of a shock as the water. For the first time Fen could remember, he truly felt  _cold._ He was shivering uncontrollably, continually clenching-then-unclenching his fingers and toes in an attempt to force out the chilling numbness that had taken over them. The sensations felt so alien, so  _wrong_  for him to be experiencing that they frightened him. He hesitantly reached out with a hand to feel his tail flame. It was lit, only weakly, but knowing that comforted him a little.

Once his lungs were functional, he began to pick up the rest of his senses, and he realised he was lying flat on his stomach. Hearing noises from nearby he lifted his head up… then almost stopped breathing again.

Ryu and the grey Pokémon, both dripping with river water, were fighting each other.

* * *

Ryu had been seconds too late.

He'd returned to the shelter where he and Fen had split up, finding himself alone. His quest for food had eventually been successful, but it had taken more effort than he'd expected, especially in finding pecha berries. He finally came across a couple that had fallen from a tree, and though they were bruised and slightly muddied by the ground, he figured they would be good enough.

Since Fen's task seemed unavoidably simple by comparison, Ryu didn't wait long for him before jogging over towards the river. Once he started hearing Fen's faint voice ahead, that jog broke into a run, and when he finally saw him, pinned against the bank with the Dark 'mon that had hurt him in Sanguin Town, it became a mad sprint.

On reflection, he was surprised that merely the sight of Fen being threatened by this 'mon he'd never met produced such a strong reaction in him, but at that moment Ryu's only thought was to protect him. At least that was until the Dark had kicked Fen off the edge of the bank… after that he just wanted to hurt her.

She turned her head and shifted herself as if about to dodge his incoming tackle, but then Ryu did something he hadn't considered before. In mid-sprint, he took a shorter step with his leading foot, using it as a springboard to throw his body forwards. The burst of pace was what he did when using quick attacks, but he'd never practiced it at such high speed. It was faster than he'd ever moved before, too fast for the Dark to react to. He crashed full-bodied into her, the force sending them both flying into the river along with Fen.

That turned out to be a good thing. Ryu had swam a few times before, reaching what he knew to be a competent level, though he'd never considered how he might use that skill to pull out a sinking Fire 'mon. The Chimchar's flailing limbs were impossible to miss, and the river confined enough to only require a few quick strokes to reach him, then some slightly more awkward ones to drag them both back to the surface. Even for a Fighter like him, hauling Fen out of the water had Ryu reach deep into his reserves of strength.

It was to his relief that Fen was breathing – though it was more like  _gasping –_ and that he looked unhurt. With him safe, Ryu's attention turned back to the Dark. She too had dragged herself from the river, standing about 10 feet from him now, her scruffy fur dripping with residue. She shook herself furiously, eyes trained on Ryu the whole time. In the dim light of the evening, her greyness camouflaged her well.

Ryu was still seething for how brutal she had been to Fen. Unable to contain his anger, he screamed, "Who the fuck are you? What's your problem with Fen? Do you want to drown him?!"

The Dark scowled back at him. "You don't know who he is," she replied.

Ryu barely considered what the cryptic message might mean. "I know that he's my friend," he said defiantly. She gave a little smirk at that, which angered him even more. "And I know that you'd better explain yourself, you fuckin' feral!"

The Dark had looked composed up to now, but upon hearing his insult she leant forwards and growled angrily, bearing two fangs from her upper jaw. She moved towards him until the two of them were within arms-length, then with a flex of her paw extended her claws, gaining a shadowy aura on the tips of them.

She suddenly lashed out with one, but it was designed to fall just in front of Ryu, missing his face. Reading her feint, he ducked under her intended follow-up scratch before slamming his palm into the black knot of fur just below her head. She let out a squeal of surprise as she rolled over.

_She thought I would flinch at her swipe!_ Ryu thought smugly.  _Stupid Dark should've known that that's the one thing our species_ can't  _do._

Now that the Dark was weakened he was eager to finish her off. As she scrambled back up, he dashed forwards and threw a right hook, only to almost fall over when his arm overextended across his body. No impact was made, only a wisp of greyness where his target should have been.

_I… what? I missed? Where…_ Darting his eyes around, he saw her standing just a step backwards from him, unharmed. He was bewildered as to how she'd moved so quickly, but put it down to mere good luck, or a slight mistake of aim on his part. He stepped forwards and tried again with his left fist, then kicked upwards with his opposite leg. Neither attack inflicted a scratch on the Dark, and she again appeared a step backwards. Even more confusingly, she hadn't made any offensive move of her own since the first attack. She was stony faced, her emotions impossible to read.

Ryu exhaled irritably.  _Why's she so timid all of a sudden? Is she really too scared to attack again? Fine, if that's how you're gonna be… you can't avoid this forever!_

To try and catch her off-guard he sprung off his standing leg to hit her with an unavoidable quick attack, though she still managed to escape with only a glancing blow. Once behind her he threw any conservatism out of the window, punching and kicking as fast as his body would allow. There was only a grey blur in his vision, the Dark continuing to swerve his attacks at a prodigious speed. One leg eventually made a solid whack on her side, which drew another squeal before she jumped backwards. Her lack of a response yet again made Ryu's frustration grow.

The Dark shuffled back until several feet separated them both. Then without explanation, she started walking in a circle around him, taking very precise, practiced sidesteps. Ryu was confused at what her plan was, but he was glad to be given a momentary breather, feeling the strain that his own intensity of attacking had caused him. As she continued her strange walk, he grew impatient and readied himself to strike again, to irrevocably end whatever strange resistance this was. Yet once he tried to focus on her, something odd happened to his vision.

His image of the Dark seemed to be blurring, as if there were multiple copies of her moving at once, each very close to one another. He blinked, unable to comprehend the illusion, but the effect only got worse the longer he tried to locate the real Dark. Quickly there became an army of identical, grey-red tinted 'mon circling him, within which the Dark could be hidden anywhere.

_What trickery is this?_ he thought, starting to panic. He continuously scanned his vision around the circle, looking for any clues that would give the Dark away, but it was a fruitless search, every copy moving as one. Eventually he heard a snarl from behind him. The illusory circle vanished as he whirled his head around to the direction of sound, but his own reactions were a split-second behind what he expected. He gasped in shock at being too slow. The Dark slashed him viciously in the neck with both paws.

He backwards-rolled over with the impact before jumping back up, but staggered, wincing in pain as he felt his neck burn. The hesitation gave the Dark an opportunity to swipe at him again, striking him in the same place. He fell helplessly to the floor. The Dark lurched forwards, biting down onto his right ankle, then immediately yanked her head upwards with it still in her jaws.

The movement sent shockwaves through Ryu's right side, and he screeched a desperate, wordless cry for help. His eyes welled up with pain. He tried to kick at the Dark with his free leg, but couldn't summon the energy. He knew he had lost.

It was his opponent's intention behind her attacks that scared him the most. If his legs weren't especially muscular and strong-boned, by virtue of him being a Fighter, he was certain that her bite would have snapped his ankle. She'd struck him in the neck because it was his body's least protected area, other than maybe his eyes, but they were hard to reach. And an ankle was easier to break than a leg. Her attacks had been carefully calculated, but calculated to cause genuine harm. So whatever this Pokémon was, it couldn't be a normal wild.

"Stop! Please!" he choked through tears, as she held onto him. "You win, 'mon! I surrender!"

She dropped his ankle, but kept a paw on his chest as he spat out the blood she'd produced. But before she could do anything more Ryu saw a sudden flash of white, then a  _crack_ as an object broke against her body. The Dark fell backwards from him like a stone.

Ryu looked left to the source. There, damp, shivering, looking on the verge of collapsing, was Fen. He gingerly held their seed pouch in his right hand.  _Which must mean…_

He had broken the stun seed on her.


	10. Hurt

Fen had only thrown the seed about 10 paces from the two fallen Pokémon, but that was as far as he could manage. He staggered over to them before dropping onto all fours, too tired to hold himself higher.

He felt like someone had taken his body and violently wrung it out until there was nothing left but a lifeless pile of bones and muscles. And all because he'd fallen into a lake. It had become painfully clear that as robust as he usually was, and as fast as he could recover from injuries, when it came to water he was as fragile as glass.  _I'll be more careful next time,_ was what he wanted to tell himself. Really though, the grey Pokémon had sensed and exploited his weakness before he could do anything about it.

The grey 'mon was still paralysed from the seed hit. Despite knowing the seed's purpose, seeing it in action so brutally had stunned Fen a little, too. He briefly glanced at Ryu, who was lying on his side, face turned away from him. Fen hadn't watched much of their fight, but he had seen what mattered; Ryu suffering two damaging hits before their enemy seemed to try and rip his leg apart. He was breathing shallowly now, his tail swaying very slightly side to side. It was the only part of him that was moving.

Their berries were in a separate pouch in their main bag, which Fen had disregarded when searching for the seeds. It lay 10 feet behind him, where Ryu had flung it off in-between pulling him from the river and facing down the grey 'mon. Fen didn't want to take his attention off their attacker, so any oran berries would have to wait for now. He cursed himself for leaving them, though; he needed one as much as Ryu did.

Abrupt stabs of motion began returning to the grey Pokémon's body, first in her head, then her limbs and tail. Fen knew he needed to speak and tried to keep his voice steady, which was made more difficult by his constant shivering.

"We have more seeds like that one," he said slowly. "If you try hurting either of us again, I won't hesitate to use them." He hoped the grey 'mon would take his words seriously given his obvious exhaustion. He couldn't have looked much less intimidating.

It turned out not to be an issue. Once she had regained movement, the grey 'mon stood in a defensive pose, paws close to her body. Like him, she shivered slightly and her eyes, previously so intense and full of anger, were wide and fearful. Her transformation was startling, and Fen had no idea how to respond. Luckily, she answered for him.

"I won't hurt you again," she agreed, almost stuttering. "But that thing you threw… how could you have known…"

"K-known what…?" Fen asked hesitantly. Inside, he was bursting with relief at her first statement; he still felt terrified of her. "It's… just a stun seed. We were given a few of them as a gift."

The Pokémon considered his answer silently for a while. She shook herself, and when she was still again some of the fire in her expression had returned, if not entirely. "Forget it. You're… just a lost, memory-bare human. What do you want with me?"

 _I'm allowed to make demands of her now?_ Though her change in attitude baffled Fen, he didn't want to lose the chance to ask his question. "I just want to know who you are. How you ended up here. Could you tell us that?"

Again, the Pokémon took her time responding. "Fine," she said eventually, scowling. "Does the name Zorua mean anything to you?"

It had a trace of familiarity to Fen, but he couldn't recall any concrete facts about the name. He shook his head.

"As I thought," she remarked. "That's what I am. Our species line can create illusions like you've seen; the only species with the ability, as far as I know. And given no-one else here seems aware of that, I've assumed that we're not native to this island."

"So, you weren't born in Kyunn?" Fen rephrased. "Where are you from, then? A place where humans lived?"

"Yes"

She paused before continuing. She didn't seem the most talkative. "I grew up with my parents in a cove somewhere, which was pretty much safe. Everything was normal. Then one day I was out exploring, and… before I knew what was happening, a bunch of humans turned up, surrounded me and managed to put me to sleep.

"When I woke up again I was in this horribly bright room, with humans everywhere and all kinds of weird devices around me. I tried to escape immediately, but that only ended in pain. I was desperate at first, not using my head; it took a lot of failed attempts before I realised I had to be cleverer. They had ways to stop me: usually a few of them would grab me, then they'd press a device on my chest which felt like a really extreme kind of paralysis. That seed of yours just… reminded me of it." That fearful look in her eyes briefly returned with those words.

Understanding her story properly, a part of Fen suddenly felt sorry for the Zorua. She'd lost everyone she knew, and had been thrust into a totally alien environment, which somewhat resembled what had happened to him. In fact, what she'd described was far worse than anything he'd had to deal with, and those experiences clearly still haunted her now. To find a way out of that situation, as he assumed she must have done, suggested she had an incredibly strong will.

But on the other hand… she'd pushed  _him,_ a Fire Pokémon, into a river! If Ryu hadn't been there to rescue him… Fen didn't want to think about how he might've ended up. How the Zorua then attacked Ryu was just as bad. Whatever might have happened to her, he couldn't justify those actions.

"Do you know why you were captured?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered. "Those  _scum_ were trying to study my abilities. I'm not sure how they knew about my illusions, but while I never fully understood their language, I knew that was what they wanted me to do. I never obliged, obviously, not for what they'd done to me."

If she was a rare a species as Fen had gathered, it would make sense for humans to want to research her. The whole situation still made him uneasy, though. Were many other rare Pokémon species treated the same as her? And why hadn't she been released when it became clear that she wasn't going to cooperate? He wondered how he would have responded in the Zorua's position; he couldn't see himself taking such a brutally determined stance as she had.  _I don't even want to think about that scenario, though…_

"I assume you found a way to escape?" Fen asked. The Zorua grunted an agreement.

"So… how did you do it?"

"It was pretty simple," the Zorua said. "I disguised myself as one of the humans. I can create illusions of humans or Pokémon, they're no different in that way. I'd been planning the escape for a while but had never tried that specific illusion before, since it was essential that they didn't realise I had the ability.

"While the plan worked, I didn't actually know the place I was in, so I had to smash through this glass wall to reach the exit. That destroyed the illusion and obviously made all of  _them_  aware that I'd escaped. All I could do then was run as far as possible. I had some hope that I might be able to find my old home, but I quickly realised that I had no idea at all of where I was. I was fairly sure that I was still being searched for too, so I was forced to change plans. The only way for me to be safe was to get off that land entirely, and so one day I found a Flyer to steal a ride with, which ended up taking me here."

"Wait," Fen interjected. The Zorua's ears spiked; her resentment for him seemed to grow whenever he spoke. "How did you just 'steal a ride' with a Flyer?"

She sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Fen got a strong hint that this wasn't something she was proud of. "If you can tell me, yes."

She continued reluctantly. "I noticed this huge Flyer, a Pidgeot I think, that was gathering up its young, getting ready to migrate for the winter. One of the Pidgey had injured a wing and the mother was preparing to carry it at the base of its neck, rather than having it fly by itself. I can't fly myself, even under an illusion, but I knew I could create an illusion of that Pidgey and none of the others would be fooled. So as discreetly as I could, I incapacitated the Pidgey, then took on its appearance and got on the mother's back. I couldn't keep up the illusion forever, so when I saw this island in sight I gave the mother a little bite to force it to land. That was the hardest part of all, since the other birds quickly realised I was an imposter; I had to swim the final distance to this island. I've been here ever since then."

Fen was lost for words. This Zorua was extraordinary. She had no thresholds for when it came to getting what she wanted. Terrifying, but…  _determined._ That was the word he kept coming back to.

There was one more thing he wanted conformation of. "So, the reason you attacked me in the first place was because you thought I was looking for you?"

She grunted again. "While it's a long way from my old region, and I know now that none of your scum live here, I heard you mention them and thought they might have somehow found a way to capture me - even through a 'mon. I acted to defend myself, and certainly didn't expect you to tell me what you have done. But believe me, _human,_ " she hissed at him, suddenly aggressive,I don't forgive you for  _anything_. Your kind have destroyed my old life forever. No matter what you are now, to me you're just as bad as them."

"But I'm not like them!" Fen said defiantly, hurt by how directly she was insulting him. "I would never harm another Pokémon like that!"

She gave a little smirk, but ignored his answer. She started walking away. "Well, I've told you everything you wanted. Hopefully we won't-"

"Wait!" Fen exclaimed again, suddenly getting an idea. "One more question… do you know the name of the place you came from?" He had hope, however naive it might be, that there were memories locked away in his head that just needed reminding of.

The Zorua looked resentfully at him, but she didn't move any further. "I only heard the name for it in human language, I think. I can't say it properly, but it was a bit like…" she screwed her face up, then made a strangled, two-syllabled noise. It sounded a bit like " _Hoy-en"_ to Fen, but at the same time was completely different to anything he'd heard a Pokémon say.

The word sparked something inside him, though.  _"Hoy-en..."_ A human word, the name of a region. He'd heard something like it before. It sounded… almost like...

"Hoenn," he said out loud. A realisation came to him.  _Hoenn. Hoenn! That's… that's where I lived before, I know it! So... me and the Zorua-_

He looked up to speak to her again, but she wasn't in front of him. To his dismay, she seemed to have vanished completely. He looked around frantically, crying her name. Nothing.

What he  _did_ see was Ryu's body, still unmoved from when he'd last checked. He'd completely forgotten Ryu in the midst of everything, and the 'mon still looked barely conscious. With all the energy he could muster, Fen dragged himself over to their bag, fished out an oran berry and slashed a third off it by extending one of his claws. He hoped the larger piece would be enough for Ryu.

He nudged Ryu's arm, who lifted his head weakly. Despite Ryu's state, a look of intense craving entered his eyes the moment he saw the berry, and Fen couldn't hand it over fast enough. Ryu devoured it in seconds, and moaned in what sounded like relief moments later as the berry's healing powers took effect. He silently raised at paw at Fen, who took it as an 'ok' signal, or a thumbs up without thumbs. Either way, Fen was relieved to see it.

He didn't waste time eating his slice of berry either. He found his energy did spike up shortly afterwards, with a noticeable increase in his tail flame. Physically, at least, both of them were going to recover.

He turned his thoughts back to Hoenn. It was like when he'd remembered his name. He knew he came from Hoenn, but that word alone didn't trigger anything  _else_ ; no landmarks, town names, personal memories… nothing. He couldn't even say where the region was in relation to Kyunn, other than somewhere across the sea. He also knew from experience that trying to get anything more from his memory now would be futile, and had to resist the urge to scream in frustration.

Then he thought more about the Hoenn-like word the Zorua had said, or attempted to say. Why couldn't she do it?

Fen tried to hear the word 'Hoenn' in his head, as a human would pronounce it. He felt like he could manage that. With that sound in mind, he opened his mouth and tried to recreate it… but all that came out was a similar strangled noise to the Zorua's.

Rather unsettled, he then said "Hoenn" out loud like how he had the first time, without paying attention to how it sounded. It was easy, and sounded right to him. But it wasn't the same word.

Suddenly, the answer hit him.  _Of course, Pokémon can't speak to humans normally; they communicate to other Pokémon in growls and grunts and things. Their bodies just_ can't  _create the sounds that the human language does. So, everything I've heard other Pokémon say, and everything I've said, is in their kind of language! I guess my brain can translate my human thoughts into this Pokémon speech._

His heart sunk as he realised something else.  _But… I'm just like any other Pokémon; I can't speak to humans. If I was to meet one now, even if I could understand them, I'd just appear to be an ordinary Pokémon…_

No happier was the fact that the Zorua seemed the only 'mon he'd met - and may ever meet from this island - who might be able to help him remember more about himself. Yet not only did she  _hate_ him, but her sudden disappearance made it clear that she didn't want to run into him again. She was a master at keeping herself hidden, and there were no clues he could think of that might lead him to her. While it hurt to admit, finding her again seemed an impossible task.

If that plan was a no-go, the only other option was to continue what him and Ryu had been doing; looking for an Absol. In terms of recovering his memories it didn't offer much hope by comparison, but it was better than nothing.

Fen noticed the sun had already faded. He looked over at Ryu and saw him sitting up, head facing at the floor so his expression was hidden. Noticing a movement, Ryu's head flicked up at Fen for a split second before withdrawing again.

"Ryu, are yo-"

"I'm fine, 'mon," Ryu interrupted, still looking down. "I know you wanna get to the shelter. Let's go." He made no comment about the odd sounds Fen had just been making, nor the Zorua at all.

Maybe he was just in a questioning mood, but Fen found himself pondering Ryu's words again as they walked. He thought it remarkably perceptive of Ryu to know that his second thought, beyond asking if he was okay, was that he wanted to get back under the cover of their tree. And this wasn't the first time Ryu had miraculously seemed to sense what he was feeling or about to say; he could recall four or five similar cases, right back to when the 'mon had sensed his anxiety on their first night in the guild.

Granted, some occasions Fen could understand: when he lied to Taluk about the Zorua for instance, since he hated lying and knew he was bad at it. There were probably facial signals or some equivalent that Ryu had picked up on then. But just now, Ryu had glanced at him for a split second… and yet knew perfectly what was on his mind. Wasn't that a little  _too_ good?

It also occurred to him that Ryu hadn't pulled this trick, if that's what he could call it, on anyone else they'd met so far. Not even slightly. That puzzled him even more.

"Ryu?" Fen said, as they started a slow walk back into the trees. The Riolu led the way in front, apparently able to see in the dark. He grunted in response.

Fen opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of a good way to ask the question, 'have you been reading my mind?' Furthermore, Ryu looked in a bad mood already, and Fen worried how he might respond if his own suspicions turned out to be wrong. So the question hung in the air, until Ryu glanced over his shoulder at him expectantly.

"...It's nothing," Fen eventually muttered back. He told himself he'd bring it up another time.

* * *

Neither of them slept well that night. In Fen's case it wasn't due to mulling over his memories, but that his mind seemed intent on replaying the moments he was tossed into the river, over and over. He could only try and console himself with what Cyan had told him about water; the more exposure he had, the greater a resistance he could build up.

 _I've had some exposure, all right,_ he thought.

Ryu woke up with his eyes an even darker shade of red than usual. He complained that it had been too hot to sleep, and a faint ring of shedded blue fur around where he'd been lying seemed to prove it. Fen thought the temperature was fine but, as Ryu quickly pointed out, that was what any Fire would think.

Aside from that and the occasional comments on their fights, Ryu hardly said a word for the rest of their forest trawl. Not that it affected much; he kept up as fast a walking pace as ever, despite Fen seeing his face and paws getting increasingly damp with sweat as the heat continued.

From the afternoon the forest's vegetation gradually started thinning out, and finally ended at the bottom of a moss-covered hill. When they scaled this, the sudden view of Ractyl's Belt took Fen by surprise.

The mountain range was huge, with peaks in the distance stretching far beyond what he could make out from their viewpoint. Some mountains were low enough to still be decorated with plant-life, while higher, sharper peaks further away bore only a bleak greyness. Though it should have looked an intimidating place to climb, Fen felt a little excited at the prospect of taking it on.

He could make out miniscule Pokémon figures all over the mountains, and he blinked when a couple of white 'mon appeared to disappear inside a large rock. Ryu duly explained that many species made their homes inside such spaces for warmth and safety, including his own family. When Fen asked how Pokémon could get food from such a high altitude, Ryu sighed and reminded him that Rock and Steel 'mon could live entirely off the rocks and iron present on the mountains.

 _The contrast between this place and Sanguin Town could hardly be greater,_ Fen thought.  _Although, a wild mountain range is more what I'd expect from a solely Pokémon island._

Their first challenge was to navigate a lake that stretched as wide as the mountain range itself and measured at least 20 metres in length. This too should've looked beautiful, with the evening sun creating an orange tint on the water's surface, but Fen didn't feel very appreciative of its existence.

Ryu assured him that many Fires had been through Ractyl's Belt before, and there was an easily accessible crossing over the lake. That only convinced Fen until he was close enough to see what Ryu meant; a set of unevenly square rocks, designed to be stepping stones, floated in a rough line across the water.

He was even less confident upon seeing a couple of blue Water Pokémon burst a out of the water to their left, snapping and spewing water at each other before crashing back beneath the surface.

Fen looked wide-eyed at Ryu. "Please tell me that's not going to happen to us?"

Ryu shrugged it off. "They're probably just fighting for the same prey. They won't attack us if we stay out of their territory. Just don't fall in the water and you'll be fine."

Fen sighed.  _How reassuring._ "Alright. Let's get this over with."

He stepped onto the first stone, which didn't move under his weight.  _That's good… just keep moving, and don't think about the water below..._ The next stone was too far for his legs to reach so he jumped towards it, very careful not to underestimate his trajectory like he had done before. His lack of height meant he rose almost as high as the actual distance travelled, but he landed without a problem, pleased that his toes instinctively clawed into the rock for grip. The rest of the stones were of a similar distance, which he quickly got used to.

As he prepared to jump the third-last stone, relieved at how simple the crossing had been, a sudden gust of wind caught him in the air, knocking his tiny body off balance. He squealed in panic as his left foot landed heavily on the edge of the stone, then buckled under his body weight. Falling on his stomach, both his legs crashed into the water before he could rebalance himself. Ryu arrived behind him a moment later, hitting the stone with virtually no impact at all, and helped him back to his feet.

The stinging pain of water frustrated Fen more than anything, a feeling he was becoming familiar with. He wished he didn't have to rely on Ryu so much.

"Two more stones, 'mon," Ryu had to shout above the howling wind that had picked up. The flat lake left them completely exposed to it. "I'll jump straight after you."

Fen gave him a thumbs up in response, not seeing the value in opening his mouth. Ryu looked back at him in bewilderment for a second, but seemed to get the message.

He slanted his next jump slightly rightwards to account for the gale and landed stably enough, though Ryu still helped balance him. The final leap took them back to solid ground, but Ryu had already started running ahead before Fen could relax. Fen saw him mouth 'shelter', gesturing wildly for him to follow.

In the five minutes it took them to find a smashable rock, a thrashing rain had started falling and even a murmuring of thunder crackled in the distance. They threw themselves under the cover, neither holding any restraint in shaking themselves dry. Hearing the rain clatter their hollow rock was even more deafening than being outside, so they didn't bother speaking. It was getting dark anyway; all they could do was try and sleep.

* * *

As Fen was drifting out of consciousness, he felt the emotions again.

Fear and panic assaulted his mind, making him instinctively flee from their rock, only to yelp and scramble back when he was pummelled by the rain and wind outside. The storm was still raging.

He got as far back into the rock as he could and shook himself. For the second day in a row he felt an unfamiliar coldness settling on him.

He realised that Ryu was staring wide eyed at him, seemingly woken by his movements. Though Fen wasn't sure if it needed explanation, he simply said "It happened again," as loud as he could. Ryu nodded without speaking.

Like in the previous attacks, Fen's head was pounding and it hurt even more to focus on keeping still, the opposite of how his body wanted to respond. He screwed his eyes shut.  _If anyone's listening to me,_ he thought desperately,  _if these attacks are supposed to be some kind of message, then… I get it, okay?! Something bad, something fearful is happening… just please, Arceus, make these things stop! I don't know if I can take much more..._

Feeling an unexpected heat against his side, he opened his eyes and blinked. Ryu had come to lie next to him, wrapping an arm around his back. Ryu's body warmth spread to him quickly, bringing a wave of calm over his body. He felt better almost immediately. Even his headache started receding.

He wanted to say thanks, but Ryu had already closed his eyes again, and Fen got the sense that he wouldn't be opening them until morning. So, in the only way he could really show gratitude, Fen followed his behaviour and tried, once again, to get some sleep. This time it was successful.

* * *

It was to his Fen's relief that the morning greeted him with quietness. He'd hoped for the storm to end quickly, since the first two he'd experienced had behaved as such.

When he stepped out of the shelter though, it wasn't what he expected. For a start, the grass was absolutely soaked, pools of water gathering in some areas. The sky wasn't clear and sunny like it usually had been post-storms, but grey with clouds. A dense fog of the same hue hung in the air.

To escape the wet he jumped on top of their rock, which was only a little damp, to find Ryu already there eating a berry.

"Looks like the storm lasted most of the night," Fen observed.

"Looks like it," Ryu muttered, gazing absently into the distance.

"The previous ones seemed to clear much faster. I wonder if there's any reason why?"

Ryu only grunted in response, as he had done to a number of Fen's recent dialogues. Even if the question was rather unanswerable, his continual downbeatness was starting to worry Fen. Ryu was normally so enthusiastic about their adventuring… what could have changed? Fen expected that being defeated by the Zorua like Ryu had been would have hurt him, but that had been over a day ago. And those events had hardly been brought up since.

Ryu had their map rolled up next to him. Fen took a look at it, using the clear drawings of cheri berries in the nearby forest as a reference for where they were now.

"So, the path Faoz drew takes us through this mountain range, coming out at a path leading to Arkan," he said. "Is the compass still in the bag? Then we could see what direction we're headed in, and…"

He trailed off as Ryu didn't seem to be listening, still gazing ahead. His paws were shaking slightly. Fen tried a different approach.

"Look, Ryu, I can see something's bothering you. I… I don't want a cloud hanging over us all day, so if there's something I've been doing wrong, or anything I can do to help you, then-"

"It's nothing to do with you," Ryu interrupted. "This is all my fault."

He finally turned his head around, and Fen saw his face looking even more sleep deprived than yesterday. "I've been keeping things from you, Fen. I've lied to you about a lot of stuff. About why I was out here in the first place."

Fen stared at him in disbelief. "You've lied?"

"You couldn't have known," Ryu went on, voice quavering, "because I lied to myself too… convincing myself that what I'd done could be justified, even though it that was impossible…"

He suddenly lashed out in anger with one of his feet, hitting their rock with a  _crunch._ Thin pieces of debris flew off, but the kick seemed to harm Ryu more, judging by his wincing.

"Can you… explain what it is?" Fen asked hesitantly. He didn't know what else to say.

"I have to, now," Ryu said miserably. He had a moment's rest, taking a few gulps of water, then spoke again. "So for me to explain… do you remember at Mt. Horizon, I told you about why I was out here, travelling by myself?"

"Yeah…" Fen thought back. "You said you lived with your family on a mountain. You always wanted to fight and explore, but your parents wanted you to help out collecting food and things?"

Ryu nodded. "That's… mostly true. I was annoyed by how they always wanted me to help out with the family, like looking after the younger 'mon or getting supplies. More important to me than just fighting, though, was everything surrounding evolution. I know you asked me about it before, but… I lied then about how much importance it has to me."

He rubbed his face with his paws. "The thing is… as long as I'm this tall, with only little bumps on my wrists, there's a limit to how strong I can be. Most 'mon evolve whenever their body knows its limit, but I don't. There's a secret to it that my parents know but refused to tell me, and I've been trying for so long to figure it out. I trained myself at fighting as much as I could. Some days I'd be out from dawn till dusk around the mountains, battling until I could barely stand, but no matter how hard I tried I never felt anything different. All it did was make my parents mad since I had jobs to be doing, and… well, we never had the best relationship...

"I eventually figured that my evolution couldn't be purely due to fighting, because I should have reached that point by now; and why wouldn't I get told if it was so simple? But despite that, whenever I lose any fight a part of me wonders if that was my big  _chance_ to evolve, that it'll be another, I don't know, ten moons until I get another one. Or that I might  _never_  get another one. Especially since the fight with Dark. What she did… it made me feel so useless. There's no way someone that weak deserves to evolve."

Fen had never suspected Ryu could be hurting so much, and felt ashamed for it. "Why is evolution so important to you?" Fen asked. "Just so you can be stronger?"

"That's part of it," Ryu said. "I mean, that's the appeal for everyone. I love fighting, and I love figuring out ways I can be better at it. But also… there are things that I'm scared of. You know about the Ghosts already. That feeling of absolute _fear_  is what I hate the most… it makes me do all kinds of stupid stuff that I regret. I don't want to ever feel like that. I know that Lucario can harness Steel techniques alongside my Fighter ones, as well as everything they can do with aura… so if I evolved, I'd be able to attack those Ghosts properly. That's the real reason, I guess…" He let out a  _hmph._  "It's pathetic, I know. Not wanting to be scared of anything."

At that moment, Fen wished more than anything that he could help Ryu out, to stop his personal torment. But as far as solving the mystery to Ryu's evolution was concerned, he felt as powerless as the Riolu did.

"What led to you leaving your family?" Fen asked.

"Well, I lied about persuading my parents to let me leave," Ryu said. "I'd  _tried_ persuading them before to let me explore alone for a few days or something, but they'd always said no. The last day I was at home, m-my dad had sent me to gather some food from down the mountain, and I was really annoyed with him since I was always doing that job, and I wanted to go exploring instead...  _and_  I was frustrated as ever with not being able to evolve. I argued against him really strongly, saying he wasn't being fair to me because I was the eldest, but he wasn't listening, and I f-felt so angry with him, I just… I just…!"

He couldn't seem to bring himself to utter the last words. "I lost control," he murmured. "I scratched him. A bit like what I did to you in the forest the day we met, but worse. I swore, too… threw as many words at him as I could in my rage. I said things I didn't mean, about how I wanted nothing to do with him and our family… Mew, it was awful. I've never snapped like that, before or since."

Fen felt surprised at how much Ryu had built up the event. Didn't everyone argue with their parents? And didn't Pokémon fight each other all the time? Maybe Ryu had said some regrettable things, but… it couldn't be that bad, could it? He carefully raised these thoughts.

"You don't understand, Fen," Ryu sighed. His voice was a whisper. "Our species, since we're quite scarce to begin with, we're incredibly protective of our own kind, our family. That means you have to respect each other, especially your elders. I can fight my siblings, sure, but to go and attack my own father in the way that I did… it's totally unforgivable. And as soon as I did it, I realised how bad a mistake it was. I was terrified about what was going to happen to me. The worst punishment I had was when I was out too late and had to sleep outside overnight... when I got back I had to stay indoors for a whole day, pretty much starved of food too. Maybe my dad would have done that to me for several days… maybe he  _would_ have forgiven me, I don't know. At that moment there was only one idea in my head I could see. I told you about how I run when I'm scared, didn't I?"

Fen nodded.

"That's what I did. I grabbed a bag we used to collect food and water, then ran. I ran away from home." Ryu paused after those words, arms trembling. " _I ran away, Fen!"_ he repeated tearfully. "I just… I just don't have a home anymore!"

A brief silence followed before Ryu continued. "As much as I talk down on them… my family mean so much to me. Like I said, I left them on my own. Before  _we_ met, I was completely on my own. So I need to go back and apologise to them. I don't know if they'll forgive me, but… I have to try. I can't bear this guilt I have."

Fen gave him a moment before following up. "Why didn't you tell me all this before?"

"Because… I wanted to look like I knew what I was doing, I guess." Ryu looked puzzled by the question. "I'm not sure why. I thought that if I'd told you the truth then you might have a bad opinion of me, and…." he trailed off again. "I guess I didn't want you to be frightened of me."

"Ryu, you could have told me practically  _anything_ back then and I still would've followed you. I was completely reliant on you."

"But I didn't  _want_ to travel with anyone," Ryu said bluntly. "Not to begin with, anyway... I wanted to go it alone. Then you showed up, and… in the state you were in, I couldn't really leave you behind. Even if you basically tagged yourself along."

For a moment, Fen took a flash of offence to Ryu's lack of caring. Then with a sudden jolt, he realised his tail was flaring. He quickly tried to calm it, but Ryu had already noticed.

"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" he yelped. "Please, don't be mad at me! I'm trying to say that I was different to how I am now. At that time, I managed to convince myself that I'd done the right thing in running away, but now I regret it all, and I want to put things right. And it's the same with you… I would never leave you behind now, alright?"

Fen couldn't believe himself.  _Why did my tail have to flare right now? Of all the times for me to feel angry…_   _when I don't even_ want  _to be, this happens! And how am I supposed to deny an emotion that my own body's given off?_

"Listen, Ryu," he began carefully. "I'm not angry with you. I can't be, because… I haven't really expressed enough just how grateful I am for you being here. Think about the amount of help you've given me… all the times you've helped me with fights; pulling me out of that lake when I may well have drowned; last night, when I had another of my attacks and you were there… and even just agreeing to take on this journey with me. You didn't have to do  _any_  of that. In fact,  _I_ feel bad, because I owe you so much now that I'm sure I'll never be able to properly repay you. I should be the one apologising."

Ryu looked at him for a long time. He looked so pained, Fen couldn't bear meeting his eyes. His voice was hoarse when he finally spoke. "I don't deserve what you've said, but… okay. I believe you."

Fen let out a sigh of relief. He felt nearly as drained as Ryu looked. "Thank you," he smiled. "So, are we close to your home from here?"

"Oh… that's kinda the problem," Ryu murmured. "The route we're supposed to be following doesn't cross Mt. Aura. We'd need to go off track for a while, which would take us at least a day longer. If you don't want to go, I don't blame you. I can-"

"I'm going with you," Fen told him firmly. "Look Ryu, you deserve as much help as I can give. I don't care about what you did before. This is the  _least_ I can do for you."

Ryu looked up at him, a glimmer of a smile on his face. "Thanks, but… I don't know how much you can help me. Outsiders aren't normally allowed in our cove."

"I'll do whatever I can."

"Well… I appreciate that," Ryu said sheepishly. "We can start heading that way once we set off, then. I've done the opposite path through here before." He unhooked the bag and took another long swig of water. He clearly needed it.

Ryu shook himself then jumped down from their rock, the grass squelching as he landed. Fen made the same move, his feet stinging a little.

"Fen, could you hold your right arm out for me?" Ryu asked suddenly.

Fen raised his eyebrows at such an odd request, but Ryu's look told him it was serious. When he obliged, Ryu slapped his right palm into his, then pulled Fen towards him before slapping him, friendlily, on the back with his left arm. A sort of man-hug, Fen thought. Ryu held it for a few seconds before pulling away.

"That's how Fighters greet, 'case you were wondering," Ryu explained. "I thought I should say thank you the proper way. Just… thanks for listening to me, I guess. It's good not be hiding things anymore."

Fen couldn't think of much to respond with, but he nodded back appreciatively. "Glad I could help."

Ryu nodded, as if to confirm something to himself, then gazed inquisitively into the mountains beyond.

"Enough talking, anyway… we've got a Wailord of travelling ahead."


	11. Return

Being exposed to the soaking grass turned out to be a non-issue for Fen, as Ryu led them almost immediately into steep, drier mountains. The sheer rockiness of terrain prevented any clear paths from forming, and meant much of their morning was spent scrambling rather than walking. The persistent fog made it difficult to see ahead, too, meaning they came almost face to face with a couple of Aron, the first Pokémon they'd seen that day.

The two Steel 'mon instantly lunged at them in attack, but their density made them slow through the air, and Fen easily evaded his attacker before firing embers at it. Ryu responded to the second Aron in similar fashion with a force palm. The Aron were tiny even by Fen's size comparison, and let out weak cries as they went down. He guessed that they were young, but before he could ask there was a rumbling from a rock wall to their right.

A Pokémon burst out of an opening in the rock and rose to its full, monstrous height in front of them, at least four times Fen's own. It was covered in steel and rock armour like the Aron, but this looked impenetrably thick on the larger 'mon. Its head had spiked horns growing off it, and one of its limbs on its own looked big enough to stomp Fen into the ground.

The Aggron glanced at the Aron that were lying in pain, then turned its attention to Fen and Ryu, humming a low growl.

"Get out," it said forcefully, standing protectively over the Aron. Its voice sounded like two stones being crushed together.

Ryu seemed surprised, taking a step back. "Hey… the Aron attacked us first, 'mon. We're only passing through here anyway…"

The Aggron didn't take kindly to him, roaring a titanic cry that must have woken half the Pokémon in the mountain range. It took two stomps towards them as they took two back. "Get out of our territory!" it ordered, lowering its head threateningly.

Fen looked nervously at Ryu, hoping he would see sense. Surely they couldn't win a battle against this thing? The Aggron wasn't even blocking their route; they only needed to do what it was asking and they'd be safe. As long as they didn't try and fight it...  _p_ _lease, Ryu?_

Ryu looked back at him, and for a moment there was a wild look in his eyes that Fen recognised from when he'd battled before, especially against the Zorua. Then, perhaps realising himself what a foolish move fighting would be, the wildness evaporated, and Ryu promptly scurried away from the creature, leaving Fen to follow.

"Did you know that Aggron was going to appear?" Fen asked, once they had slowed down.

"Of course not," Ryu replied agitatedly. "I don't understand… they were the ones that attacked us! It's not like that was some crazy wild; the Aron were its children, and they clearly had a home. I've been around this area all my life and I've never been threatened like that. But everything about the place seems weirdly off today. It's somehow more… eerie, unwelcoming."

Fen thought for a moment. "Maybe the storm last night has something to do with it? I mean… a similar thing happened in Hidden Wood, affecting Pokémon behaviour. The storm back  _then_  made those Ghosts appear."

"Mm," Ryu sounded edgy at just the mention of Ghosts. He scratched his ear as he considered. "I don't know if that's the reason. But if it is, we could be in for plenty of fights today."

"But we don't  _have_ to fight anyone," Fen added, alluding to the advice Ryu had given him about fleeing.

"That's also true," Ryu said. "Y'know… this is probably the only time I'm going to say this, but I don't wanna sidetrack our main mission any longer than needed. So today, we should try and avoid fights wherever possible. That way we should still get to Mt. Aura by nightfall."

"So, just try not to meet any other Pokémon?"

"Yeah. You should walk on all-fours, I'll do the same. Keep your senses alert for any signs of 'mon. In this weather it's difficult for us to be seen from afar, anyway."

"Alright." Fen paused. "Wait, you can walk on all-fours?"

Ryu shrugged. "'Course I can." He dropped his upper body and put his arms down underneath him in one smooth movement. His walking pace didn't drop as his arms and legs alternated steps. Fen noted how his own walk, by contrast, was more of a pull forwards with his front legs.

"This is what I did as a hatchling, before I could stand up properly," Ryu said, somewhat wistfully. "It makes a change, though it's a bit too close to the ground."

Fen agreed; he felt small enough standing on two feet.

Regardless, they went solely four-legged for the rest of the day. Despite the unfavourable conditions and the extra need to be stealthy, Fen still found he loved the experience of mountaineering, for reasons he couldn't quite put into words. The mountains just felt  _right_. But if Ryu shared his opinion, he didn't let it show, getting progressively quieter and tenser as time went on. When they passed over one peak in the late evening, getting a fresh if slightly hazy view of the horizon, Ryu froze.

"There's my home," he muttered, pointing ahead.

The grey mountain was smaller than Fen expected, and had nothing visually unique from those they'd already seen. Its location was what stood out more; a small woodland, complete with a water stream, was located in a neat ring around the mountain's base. While Fen thought it very convenient for food and water, the woodland starkly separated the mountain from those surrounding it.

"It looks a pretty isolated place," Fen observed.

"Huh," Ryu said with a hint of amusement. "I agree, but none of the others seem to. I think my parents like the solitude of this mountain, so they can be sure our family's safe and stuff. But I definitely would've lived in a place like Sanguin Town if I had the chance."

The actual location of Ryu's 'home' seemed obvious; even in the fog Fen could see a sizable opening bashed into the rock, at about two-thirds of the mountain's height. It was hard to make out how far the crevice extended, but there was a path carved from its entrance that wound downwards towards the foot of the mountain.

"Are your family the only ones that live here?" Fen asked.

Ryu nodded. "That's why we call it Mt. Aura. It doesn't really have a proper name."

Fen frowned back. "What  _is_ this 'aura' you talk about? How does it relate to you? You mentioned it yesterday, but I didn't ask."

"You… don't know about aura?"

"Well, I don't  _know_  if I do."

"Right. I should've expected that," Ryu said apologetically. "I'll try and explain."

He clicked his wrist bumps together as he thought. "Think of aura as the pure energy you live on, that you survive with. Everyone has it, but most 'mon can't see and utilise this energy; it just  _exists_ for them. Lucario are one of the few species that  _can_  see aura, hence the mountain name. If you're aware of aura it gives you all kinds of abilities: you can transfer it into attacks, create protective barriers, use it as light sources… even do some telepathic things with it."

Fen blinked. "'Telepathic things'... you mean, being able to sense the thoughts and feelings of others?"

"Uh… I guess that's part of it…"

"But, Ryu!" Fen exclaimed. "Haven't you done this with me before? Sensing my thoughts?"

For a moment Ryu stared at him like he'd been transformed back into a human. "I've done what?" he barked. "Are you crazy?"

Fen was just as surprised as him. Ryu sounded almost accusatory. "Well… there's been a number of times now where you've picked up on what I've been thinking, based off very little. Like at Mt. Horizon, when I felt down about not knowing my family, and you knew something was bothering me. Then yesterday, when you barely looked at me but knew that I was thinking of getting to the shelter… I feel like this has happened too much to just be coincidence. I don't know if you even realise you're doing it, but-"

"Fen." Ryu looked at him disbelievingly. "I  _can't_ do it. I… look, y'see these?" He pointed to the black appendages hanging loosely off the sides of his head. For the first time, Fen noticed how much they stuck out for something with no clear purpose.

"These are my aura sensors," Ryu said. "Once they're fully developed, I'm supposed to be able to use aura like Lucario can. But they don't develop fully  _until I evolve_ , so right now they're useless. I can't do anything with aura, which means I can't do any telepathic stuff. However you got this idea that I'm reading your thoughts… it's not possible."

Fen paused.  _It is strange_   _for Ryu to be doing something supposedly beyond his current form. But Ryu doesn't know the secret to his own evolution; what if there are other properties of his species that he's unaware of, like this?_

"You've never felt like you've been reading my thoughts, or anything?" Fen asked.

"No," Ryu said tersely. He shook his head and turned back towards Mt. Aura. "We can talk about this later. I need to get everything here resolved tonight, while it's quiet. I don't feel like creating a huge scene by turning up in the morning."

Fen could understand Ryu's urgency to clear the air with his family, but he glanced doubtfully at the sky, which was rapidly darkening. His body seemed hard-wired to become sleepy as soon as darkness fell, and the fatigue from travelling all day was becoming apparent.

"Even if we're quick," he said, "to climb down this cliff and then ascend Aura would take a couple hours at least…"

"I've already planned for that," Ryu replied brusquely. "You're not gonna fall asleep, trust me."

It turned out that one of the fruits growing in the neighbouring woodland was a hard, pink-and-blue berry called a chesto, which had a side-effect that Ryu called 'increased wakefulness'. Fen wasn't sure what to expect after eating one, but found the energy rush equivalent to drinking about four cups of coffee in one. It staved off sleep, all right; he wondered if he'd ever feel like sleeping again.

They had to fight off a couple of wild Bugs inside the woodland, but the rest of the journey passed quickly in their energised states, until the opening to Mt. Aura stood in front of them. They both stopped.

Although Ryu was shivering slightly, he had a look on his face so hardened that he might have been choosing to walk to his death, rather than his old home. Fen hoped that wasn't an indicator for what would happen to them.

"You ready?" he asked Ryu.

Ryu's paws were white from being clenched so hard, but he still nodded them onwards into the gap, which was wide enough to fit them both. Though Fen's tail was their only light source, Ryu's surefootedness suggested he'd trodden the path a thousand times before. Fen was surprised at how long the passage stretched for, and at how smooth the whole structure was. It felt like a place well cared for.

Ryu stopped where the path forked right around a chunk of rock. A few metres ahead it was blocked entirely by a circular boulder.

"Wait on this corner so you aren't seen. Keep yourself hidden," Ryu whispered to Fen. He looked down briefly, fiddling with his paws, before glancing up again. "And thanks for sticking with me," he added, offering the slightest of smiles.

Fen pushed himself up against the rock wall, trying to cover his tail light as best as he could. He watched as Ryu walked up to the boulder and hit it three times in a rhythm with the backs of his paws, the metallic sound echoing harshly through the tunnel. Almost immediately, the side facing away from them was illuminated in a blue glow. Then the boulder itself was rolled aside.

Fen could only peek around the corner at the creature standing before Ryu, but he could immediately tell it was his evolved form. The Lucario's body was the same combination of sapphire blue and jet black colours, with the exception of its yellow-fur torso. Its face had similar black markings around the eyes, and it had two, rather than one, larger aura sensors either side of its head. Its snout, ears and tail were longer and thicker than Ryu's, and the metal bumps on its paws were pointier, at least an inch in length. Fen was surprised at how slim the Lucario was, though its muscles were impressively defined.

In its hand floated a blue ball of energy, the source of the glow. It was stunningly bright; Fen counted himself lucky that it was only the size of a candle flame, otherwise he would have been lit up as well. He found himself almost inexorably drawn towards the light, such was its wonder to him. It had to be the aura Ryu described.

The Lucario looked at Ryu with an almost apologetic expression. If it was surprised to see him, the emotion was well hidden.

"Mother," Ryu greeted shakily, sounding unusually formal.

The Lucario continued to stare at him, before uttering two words.

"Rycaro. Come."

She turned and led Ryu deeper into the cavern beyond. Fen could only make out their voices from his position, grateful his hearing was so acute.

A different, deeper voice murmured the same word as before. "Rycaro…"

Then, its tone suddenly turned harsh. "Why have you returned? Before you ran away, you told me that we were worthless to you, that you were better off without us. You attacked me yourself. So what could bring you back here?"

Ryu started to stutter something, but the deeper voice intervened.

"In fact, before you explain, hand the bag over."

"W-what?" Ryu managed to squeak. "But I've always carried this bag… whenever I was collecting food, or-"

" _Must I tell you again?_ " The voice was so fierce that Fen winced at the sound. "It is not  _your_ bag, Rycaro. You know our rules. The two slashes inscribed in this bag were made using aura, and you cannot be entrusted with it until you can harness the same power as its maker. You stole it from here, and I expect it returned."

After a momentary hesitation, Fen heard the bag being slid from Ryu's back. Ryu hadn't mentioned that it wasn't strictly his, and panic began rushing through Fen as he realised how fatal an oversight that could be. The bag contained so much of importance; directions, food, Scout's items, his water protection… if they left here without it, they might as well give up their journey. He couldn't believe how easily Ryu had forfeited it.

"Now, I will ask you again," the voice said. "What could bring you back here?"

Though Ryu's voice shook, he wasn't interrupted. "Father, I… made mistakes, I know that. I wanted to evolve, and I still do, but that desire made me selfish, it made me forget about what was important. I know the responsibility I have, being the eldest sibling, and… I wasn't thinking about that when I struck you and ran away. All I can do is apologise."

Ryu's father spoke heavily. "Rycaro, your discipline always made you an outlier to your siblings; that I can tolerate. In this case, however, you have disrespected me, abandoned your duties to your family, and stolen from us. You may be sorry, but to return now, telling me that you should be forgiven, and that you want to return to this family… it is difficult to see how you deserve it."

Fen half-expected Ryu's father to order that Ryu leave there and then, but the cavern was hushed for a long time; the only sound being the scattered breathing of Pokémon. It seemed they were all waiting for Ryu to respond.

"I'm… I'm not asking if I can return to the family," Ryu eventually said.

This time the female Lucario spoke. "Then why did you come back?"

"I met someone while I was away, not long after leaving here," Ryu said. "He woke up in Cheri Forest without any memories of his past, and we're looking for a way for him to get them back. We've still got a long way to travel, and I was planning to leave after I talked to you. I don't want to argue about what I did… I know it's probably too much to ever be forgiven for. I j-just wanted to tell you that I do regret what happened, and… despite what I said then, I still love you all, and I always will."

His voice had quietened to a whisper by the end, and another pause followed. "Who is this Pokémon you met?" Ryu's father demanded. "Is he here?"

"He's just outside," Ryu managed.

"Could we meet him?" his father asked, sounding less aggressive despite the bluntness of his words.

Fen couldn't imagine many more terrifying situations than being in front of the Pokémon who'd already ripped his son's pleas to pieces. But he'd agreed to help Ryu however he could; if this was what that meant, then so be it.

It was a surprise to learn that Ryu had a different name, but Fen was more puzzled at why Ryu had said their journey was to help get his memories back, or why he'd even been brought into the equation at all. Yet the more he considered it, the more it made sense. Saying he was trying to figure out the causes of recent unusual weather hadn't impressed Faoz or Savi before they'd left; he figured that Ryu's family would likely have the same 'don't interfere' attitude towards it. So although Ryu hadn't  _lied_ , he had presented their goals as something more… understandable, perhaps.

Ryu emerged from the opening, looking oddly incomplete without his bag. He had the strength to meet Fen's eye, but he appeared as distraught as he'd sounded. He knew Fen had been listening, so they only exchanged a silent nod before Fen followed him inside the cavern.

Two Lucario stood in the centre of the room, and Fen could immediately tell Ryu's parents apart. The now visible male Lucario was several inches taller than the female alongside him, and everything about him was sharper; his ears and snout were more pointed and the bumps on his paws had become spikes, their white tips gleaming. He seemed to exude authority.

The cavern itself was far bigger than Fen had expected, easily spacious enough for ten or so Pokémon to live in. There were a few rocks on the walls and ceiling that glowed a faint blue, casting a mystical atmosphere over the place, though the female Lucario still held her pebble of light. Fen was again in awe of what he assumed was another work of aura.

An indentation in the ground to his left showed seven more Riolu of various sizes, all smaller than Ryu, sitting up on grass-like bedrolls. Their closeness suggested they had been asleep, but all of them were now staring wide-eyed at Fen as he walked up with Ryu. It only made him more uneasy; why on Earth did Ryu's father want to meet him?

Ryu's father surprised Fen by getting on one knee to meet him closer to eye level. The Lucario's aura sensors twitched momentarily as he examined him. "Chimchar," he said, a curious hint in his voice. "You have been travelling with my son?"

"Yes," Fen answered simply. He hoped there wasn't a formal 'sir' he was missing.

The Lucario spoke carefully. "I can sense an anxiety within you, so I wish to reassure that I mean you no harm. I only care to understand what brought you here with Rycaro. May I ask your name, if you should have one?"

So Ryu's father could sense his emotions, no doubt. What Fen didn't understand was: why had the Lucario had been so polite? His manner was totally different to the hostility he'd shown towards his own son. Fen assumed that most people would soften up a bit if they knew about his memory condition, as Ryu's father did.  _But even so… do I deserve this much respect?_

"My name's Fen," he said.

The Lucario nodded. "As I go by the same name as your friend, you may simply call me Lucario."

Fen had to stop himself from gawping.  _He's called Rycaro too! That means he passed his name down to Ryu, his eldest child, and… did Ryu not want to use it? Maybe that's why his father's so angry with him!_

_Although, Ryu and Rycaro are still_ similar  _names… If Ryu had told me a completely different one, I'd assume that he wanted nothing to do with his father. Maybe Ryu's just a name for him to feel independent enough… or maybe it's only a nickname..._

"My son tells that you have lost your memory," Rycaro continued, looking unexpectedly mournful. "Such a situation is not something I can ever recall, and you have my deepest sympathy." He paused. "Now, could you explain how you and Rycaro crossed paths?"

Leaving out his humanism, Fen recounted waking up in Cheri Forest, realising his lack of memories, then how his panic at the falling rain led to him and Ryu running into each other.

"I was completely lost, and felt pretty terrified because of it. Since Ry-" he hesitated over the name. "Since Rycaro was the only 'mon I'd met since waking, I asked if I could travel with him."

"And you have been with him ever since?"

"Pretty much," Fen said. He thought he might have a grasp on what the elder Rycaro was interested in. "I was really struggling at first since I couldn't remember how to fight. Rycaro fought a lot just to protect me, which I'm really glad for. Since we got to Sanguin Town I was able to remember more about myself and improve my fighting, but I doubt I would have made it at that far without him."

Ryu's father hummed, of which the implication was uncertain. "What led you both here?"

_Given what Ryu's said, that's a difficult question_ , Fen thought _._ Their  _actual_ journey to figure out the natural disasters, on the face of it, didn't match up with Ryu's story at all. The biggest link between the disasters and Fen's memory were in the emotion attacks he had suffered three times now. And after Ryu had remarked what strange phenomena they were, he hadn't mentioned those to anyone but him.

Yet Rycaro, if Fen discounted how the Lucario had spoken to Ryu, seemed fairly wise and understanding.  _Plus, if Rycaro can sense my emotions, he'd know if I'm telling the truth… right? Either way, I'd be playing a dangerous game by lying._

So he told Rycaro about the unusual weather, and the sudden flashes of emotion that had hit him as he was falling asleep. He revealed the Absol they'd spotted – the first mention he'd made of that to anyone – and how that led him to want to find one. Then how they'd learned that Darkrai's Knot was the most likely place to find Absol, and that Ryu had agreed to go there with him. Mt. Aura was merely crossed along the way.

He found it slightly worrying that Ryu didn't even attempt to add to his story, just standing quietly. The elder Rycaro listened carefully, and Fen noticed the 'mon's sensors twitch a couple more times while he recounted events.

"Your theory about the natural disasters is not something I had thought about," Rycaro murmured once Fen finished. "Whether it is correct, I could not say, but I do not doubt the truth of your experiences. Your tale is remarkable, Fen; I have heard many great myths and legends in my time, yet yours is unlike any. It does make one wonder if forces like those might be guiding your path."

_Whoever's guiding me must be a pretty cruel being, if that's true,_ Fen thought.

Ryu's father continued. "I understand that you have a great desire to complete this journey. And along with that, your friendship with Rycaro is equally as strong."

"Absolutely!" Fen said, with a little too much enthusiasm. He sensed that this had to be good for Ryu's cause. "We're a team, no doubt."

Rycaro turned to his mate, the female Lucario, but rather than speaking they just looked intently at each other for about 30 seconds.

"While I sympathise with you greatly Fen, and I do not wish to call you a stranger, you are not from our blood," Rycaro said eventually. "Unfortunately you cannot stay here, even for a single night. And Rycaro, given you are his partner, the same must apply to you."

"Yes, father," Ryu murmured, looking despondent.

"However," Rycaro went on, "We do not want to stand in the way of your journey; I believe completing it would be in both of your best interests. Therefore, though it is hard to forgive your stealing from our family, Rycaro…" He picked up their bag of supplies and held it out to Ryu, "you may keep this bag a little longer. I see how dearly you require it."

Ryu took a step back, hesitating to even touch the bag in his shock. "T-thank you?!" he gasped.

When he finally took the bag, his father spoke again. "Rycaro… despite what has passed, we do not wish to banish you from here. I urge you to leave us for now, and you should decide for yourself, when the time is right, if you want to return. Fen, though I doubt we will meet again, I pray that all can be resolved for you. Both Arcia and I give you our best wishes." The female alongside him, who had to be Arcia, bowed her head in confirmation.

Ryu looked over at the younger Riolu, and back at his parents. "Could I say goodbye quickly?"

"Of course," Arcia said.

Ryu thanked her gratefully, and Fen watched while he went over to his siblings, exchanging hushed words and several Fighter-hugs.

Suddenly Fen felt a mental force hit his consciousness, and a voice – no,  _Rycaro's_ voice – spoke quickly inside his head. " _Fen, you and Rycaro's friendship matters more than perhaps you realise. I know that Rycaro wishes to evolve, but while that secret is one that he can only learn himself, I can say that with you by his side, he is on the correct path. I hope you continue travelling together._

" _Additionally… though only slightly, I noticed that your aura bears the mark of something else; a power far greater than your own. Much like your story, it is difficult to make sense of, as it is unlike anything I have sensed before. I am sorry that I cannot help further, but I thought you should know. Good luck."_

The pressure on Fen's mind retreated. He blinked a few times. Rycaro was still standing in front of him as if nothing had happened, but his eyes had a knowing look to them. Fen wanted to reply in the same telepathic way, but even if he somehow had that ability he had no idea how to use it, and Rycaro had only left him more confused than before.

_A greater power? Either there's some humanness in my aura that Rycaro can sense, or it's something else about me… the only other thing I can think of are the emotion attacks, but he already knows about them, so might he be able to tell…? Rycaro did suggest that some mythical force might be guiding my path, but it was only a suggestion… he doesn't know…_

"Fen? Are you ready?"

Ryu was back, and though slightly sad-looking he held himself up high on his tiptoes, as if determined to act strong.

_Is my aura different because I was once a human?_

Fen looked at Rycaro again.  _Rycaro doesn't know that I was, though. I could ask him… but who knows how he'd respond to that? And just after getting our bag back, I'm not putting our journey in jeopardy again. Rycaro already said that he didn't understand what he'd seen in my aura… knowing I'm a human surely wouldn't help him._

_Didn't Ryu say that aura was like the energy everyone lives on?_   _In physical terms, there doesn't seem any difference between me and an ordinary Chimchar, and if there is, no-one's picked up on it. But if the strange aura_ isn't  _related with me being a human, what else could it be?_

He sighed inwardly.  _The greatest mystery is how I ended up like this in the first place. Until I figure_ that  _out, I'd bet that_   _these other questions will remain unanswerable. What I'd do to know the answers…_

"Sorry. Yeah, I'm ready," he said to Ryu.

With that, Ryu re-fastened the bag around his back, and said a final goodbye to his family. Then he led them out of the cavern without a backwards glance.

* * *

Ryu kept going once outside, manoeuvring Mt. Aura with such ease that Fen had to ask him to slow down.  _He_  could barely see a thing.

"Sorry," Ryu breathed. "I just wanna get far enough away from here. You heard what my dad said: we shouldn't even stay on the same mountain."

Ryu's voice was steady now, but Fen still waited until they were far from the Riolu's home, under the familiar cover of a rock, before he asked any more.

"Ryu, are you… okay with what happened?" he said.

Ryu let out a sigh, but it was a contented one. "Yeah, I am. I mainly wanted my family to know how sorry I feel. That's what I'd been feeling so awful about. And what I feared was for Dad to ignore that, and tell me to stay away from them forever… 'Cause like I said, I still love my family and I want to see them again sometime.

"I didn't expect to be totally forgiven, but I couldn't have hoped for much of a better response. And considering what  _nearly_ happened… I'd completely forgotten about the bag for a start, how it technically wasn't mine. If I'd lost that then, well, you don't need to imagine how bad it would be for us. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself.

"I have to thank you though, Fen; you really saved my tail," Ryu added. "I'm not sure I'd have gotten the bag back if my parents hadn't taken such a liking to you. I mean, no offence or anything, but I didn't expect them to! You heard how the rules usually are."

Fen nodded. He was pretty sure he knew why he'd been treated so kindly, but didn't think it would be right to share Rycaro's private sentiment now.

"I thought your dad was really harsh on you when you arrived," Fen said. "I get that you did some bad things, but… I don't know, he's your  _dad._  It sounded almost like he didn't  _want_  to see you."

Ryu eyed Fen curiously. "Really? How he reacted was more or less what I expected. What would your parents have done?"

A brief pause. "Wait, shit, I forgot," Ryu said quickly. "Sorry if I-"

"Nah, it's fine," Fen smiled. "I'm hardly in a position to give parenting advice, but I just thought yours would be more forgiving, considering you'd disappeared for so long. But speaking of parents… what's with the name they called you?"

"Rycaro?" Ryu shifted uncomfortably. "My fault for not mentioning anything. It's a name that's been passed down through our family for quite a while, I think. My siblings originally called me Ry, which worked to distinguish me from Dad, but it didn't feel like a proper name. Then I came up with adding the 'u' at the end, since it's at the end of my species name. Sharing the same name as my dad always made me a bit uncomfortable… and Rycaro just reminds me a lot of Lucario, which I'm not, obviously. That's why I've been calling myself Ryu. Good job for improvising with it, anyway," he added with a smirk.

Fen hummed in approval. "So what should I call you now?"

"Huh? Call me Ryu, 'mon. I ain't changing my name again."

"Alright," Fen laughed. With the chesto-caffeine wearing off, he was starting to face a power struggle with his eyelids, but he still wanted to ask questions.

"That ball of light your mother had was aura, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Mm."

"I just want to say…" he smiled at the thought of it. "It's mind-blowing, the stuff they can do with it. The lights inside the rocks as well!  _And_  our bag, I never knew about that! Does the aura do something there, too?"

Ryu didn't return his excitement. "Aura's not as amazing as you think," he said. "It only works on your body's existing energy. While  _I_  haven't done it, I know that creating enough aura to light up one of those rocks would seriously tire you out."

"Oh," Fen said, slightly deflated. "What about the bag?"

"Well, another thing about aura is that it wears off over time. This bag is Relicanth age, so I doubt there's much of it left now. I never knew what the aura did to it. I think the main point is to provide another reason not to take it like I did."

"The bag's… 'Relicanth age?'" Fen repeated. "It looks in really good condition, though. What if… maybe the aura's made it more durable?"

Ryu's eyes widened for a second, then he shrugged. "I hadn't thought of that, but it could be true. Anything else you wanna ask?" he added wearily.

Fen got what his tone was implying, and felt pretty tired himself. "No," he said. "I… think you deserve some rest, 'mon. It's been a long day."

Ryu nodded, satisfied, then curled himself up for sleep.

_Ryu really doesn't like talking about aura,_ Fen reflected,  _and he's always downplayed it when he has done. I guess not having the ability weighs on his mind a lot._

He repeated Rycaro's words to him on Ryu's desire to evolve. " _With you by his side, he is on the correct path."_

Fen sighed at the ambiguity of it; the last thing he needed were more mysteries to think about. He shuffled around in the rock until he could lie comfortably, and finally closed his eyes.

_I really hope you're right, Rycaro._


	12. Firepower

The next three days were low key compared with what Fen had grown used to. To get back on Faoz's route towards Glyciak Mountain they needed to follow the path going to the volcano Arkan; but given the remote location of Mt. Aura, they crossed almost the whole width of Ractyl's Belt in finding the volcano. Their route was certainly unconventional, judging by the awkwardness of the mountains they crossed, and they frequently had to resort to rock climbing around the edges of them.

Until this morning the weather had remained misty and stormy, though no rainfall was on the same level as the one that triggered Fen's last emotion attack. But even if the weather wasn't completely normal, life on the mountains appeared back to it. They ran into other Pokémon with a reassuring regularity, and while most weren't aggressive like the Aggron yesterday, Fen was reminded that it wasn't just wild Pokémon that were keen to fight. Battles with friendly 'mon were a little more restrained in nature, but they still tired and bruised just the same.

While Fen felt a little frustrated at how the fights slowed them down, he knew that, if nothing else, he needed the practice for the supposed challenges ahead. Plus, with him and Ryu finally fighting together, things became a lot more interesting; they passed many hours discussing possible strategies and combinations in more depth than they ever had.

On the fourth morning since Mt. Aura, they left the mountain belt and were crossing a rocky valley separating them from the volcano. The sun was out for the first time in days, to Fen's relief; he'd had to wear Cyan's coat for most of the intervening time, and while he was glad to have the water protection, the itches he was getting were becoming unbearable.

He sniffed the air now, unsure why he had until he picked up a smell of ash. He felt a tingle of excitement with it, even though Arkan was already visible in front of them, and had been since the previous day, as its tip had peered over lesser mountains. There were two features that distinguished it from the surrounding mountains: one was its colour, a charcoal black that seemed to almost glitter in the sunlight, standing out from the sea of greys they'd been crossing. The other was a jagged circular opening at its peak, though no steam or lava seemed to be rising from it.

Fen had to remind himself that the volcano was only a landmark to cross, not an end point of their journey. Still, he'd been intrigued by the place ever since Cyan had told him what a good idea it would be to go there, and that information was clearly playing on his instincts too.

It didn't take long for their first battle of the day to appear. The map marked the route ahead as containing Fire and Rock Pokémon, but Fen thought that this Pokémon looked nothing like either type. The most striking feature was its white and orange-gold fur, forming a huge mane around its neck, as well as a bushy white tail that must have been as long as Fen was tall.

The Pokémon was so beautiful that for a strange moment he just wanted to stop and admire it as it prowled above them on the path. But then it noticed them, growled menacingly and crouched down in offense, its tail whipping from side to side.

Ryu was not appreciating the 'mon in the same way, and he quickly leaped upwards to swing a fist at it. The Pokémon's eyes turned red as he was about to strike, and when Ryu's arm did connect it seemed to be with an invisible barrier in front of its body. The 'mon glowed white for a second before Ryu was sent flying away, creating a dust cloud as he landed. His foe winced too, but only skidded backwards slightly.

"Dammit!" Fen heard Ryu shout behind him. "Lycanroc! They can counter!"

Fen didn't recognise the species name but understood Ryu's warning. Physical attacks were too much of a risk should the Lycanroc counter them again, meaning fire was his best option. The Lycanroc had remained on its high vantage point, so he darted a mazy path around the slope to get in a better position, then evaded a lunging bite before spitting embers at its body.

To his dismay, the flames barely left a singe on the Lycanroc's fur. Fen dodged another wild swipe from it before attacking its side. He'd performed enough scratch attacks now to be able to do a flurry of them in the same fraction of time as before. While each scratch individually didn't pack as much punch, the cumulative effect, he and Ryu had decided, was surely greater.

Unfortunately, although the attack wasn't countered his claws bounced harmlessly off the Lycanroc, doing no better damage than the embers had. Fen hastily jumped back and watched it swipe its paw not at him, but a nearby pile of rocks. Instead of the rocks scattering away on impact, they hovered in mid-air in front of the Lycanroc. Its eyes lit up red again.

Fen was momentarily stunned at the mastery it showed over the rocks – at least it told him what the 'mon's element was. Then, sensing what was coming next, he bolted away to the right. He heard a grating cry from the Lycanroc as it released its weapons, the rocks tearing through the air. Trying to dive out of the way had little effect – the rocks were packed together like a solid wall – and whatever substance rocks were made of, Fen had already learned that his body just didn't cope well with them. The numerous hits he took felt like cannon balls.

While Fen tried to regain his breath, Ryu kept the Lycanroc's attention. He jumped at it and raised an arm in attack, but feinted his swing at the last moment. The Lycanroc growled at being fooled and kicked at the floor with its front legs, throwing sand into the air. Caught in the sand attack, a coughing Ryu retreated to near Fen, who was just about standing.

"My attacks are practically useless," Fen said to him.

"Well, if I attack there's a chance of it countering again." Ryu gasped.

"It won't counter if it's focused on something else, right? Let me try and distract it. You wait for an opening."

Ryu thought for a second, then nodded. "I'll get out of sight."

Fen tried to ignore his body's complaints as he scrambled up towards the Lycanroc. He whistled loudly at it to catch its attention, before lazily examining one of his claws, feigning disinterest. He'd only recently discovered this as a viable tactic. He thought it strange that 'mon could fall for the trick so easily, and even stranger how the skill came almost as naturally to him as breathing fire.

As he hoped, the Lycanroc growled once again at his antics, then beat its paws into the ground. More rocks were thrown and suspended around it.  _Now's a good time, Ryu…_ Fen thought nervously.

This time however, the Lycanroc charged forwards straight at him, the stones hovering in a halo-like ring around its mane. Fen felt his stomach clench.  _A direct attack! This is okay though... as long as Ryu can intercept before it hits me…_

Fen knew that Ryu would be relying on the Lycanroc's trajectory remaining the same, so if he tried to avoid this attack Ryu was likely to miss his own. The Lycanroc moved alarmingly fast, though, and Fen was just about to make a desperate lunge away when the Rock 'mon's mid-section was finally crunched into by Ryu's body, making its rock halo instantly drop to the floor. It instinctively lashed out with its front legs, one of which made three rakes across Fen's face before he could pull away.

With Ryu and the Lycanroc in a heap together, they briefly grappled with each other. Ryu was eventually able to hold it off despite it being twice his size, and slam a force palm into its mane. The Lycanroc let out one last howl of complaint, before kicking up more sand at them as it limped away behind some rocks.

"Good timing," Fen groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. The scratches stung, but appeared nothing worse than that.

Walking over to him, Ryu tried to laugh but ended up coughing sand. "Good taunting, too," he managed. "Y'know, I never would've expected 'mon to be so riled by someone getting their attention, then ignoring them…"

Fen shrugged. "Me neither, but it seems to work."

"Certainly does," Ryu smirked. "Y'alright? Didn't get scratched too hard?"

"Fine," Fen said, getting to his feet. "Let's keep going."

He didn't feel like bringing up what had been increasingly preying on his mind recently: his battling deficiencies. He'd tried to figure out why his scratches were so blunt and embers so weak, at least in comparison with the power Ryu could create. Ryu himself couldn't offer much help, confessing that their two elements and ranges of moves were too far apart for him to make any meaningful comparisons.

The most obvious explanation to Fen was his lack of fighting experience, and furthermore, the lack of time spent in his own body. But he certainly wasn't hatchling-sized for a Chimchar, and he'd still been able to breathe fire from the day he was 'born', even if he hadn't known how. That, he knew, wasn't normal. He felt as if he had the capabilities to be better, but achieving it was somehow beyond him. The only thing he had  _some_  confidence in was his ability to strategize… though that was hardly useful without any offensive weapons.

_I'm really thinking like a Pokémon now,_ he thought amusedly to himself.  _Two weeks ago I was only worrying about staying alive._

They climbed for a few more hours, hardly reaching a third of the volcano's vast altitude, before seeing a couple of yellow-and-white furred Pokémon emerge from an opening in the rock. The taller one, who had a stick in its tail and tufts of fur falling from its ears, eyed them both curiously, particularly Ryu. Then it hurried past, chasing the four-legged 'mon running ahead of it.

Intrigued, Fen got closer to the opening. It was twice the area of the tunnel going into Mt. Aura. He could see light in the distance, and hear a murmuring of voices, but the most striking feature was the heat. It felt revitalising after so much travelling.

"Do you think this is the place Cyan lived?" he asked Ryu.

"Dunno, but I'm not going near it," came the voice, oddly far away. Fen turned and was alarmed to see Ryu standing back from him, his face and paws practically dripping with sweat.

Ryu noted his reaction and smirked. "Y'see, I think my whole coat's gonna fall off if I get much closer to there."

Fen tried to gauge the temperature on Ryu's scale but was frustrated by his inability to do so. He felt like the temperature was  _perfect,_  though. "I didn't realise it would be too hot…"

"I mean, it's a volcano," Ryu said. "Not sure what else I expected."

Fen looked between him and the opening awkwardly. He really had a strong urge to go inside. "Uh… do you mind if I take a look in here?"

"Nah, it's fine," Ryu said. "We've been travelling pretty hard recently, so I don't mind a rest. This seems like a pretty safe area. I can check that we know where this Smouldered Pass is, then look for water or something."

Smouldered Pass was the next marker on their route – a gnarled, ash-coloured forest judging by their map illustration.

"Are you sure?" Fen asked.

"'Mon, I'm not staying here," Ryu smiled. "I can see what you wanna do. Just call me when you're done, uh… being warm... I won't go very far, anyway."

Maybe it was just because he was keen to get out of the heat, but Fen doubted that Ryu would've been so accommodating on their first few adventures. He was happy for the change.

"I won't be gone long," he assured.

Ryu nodded affirmatively. "See ya later then."

Fen turned back to the volcano opening and began walking inside. As the thickness of rock blocked out all the noise from outside, it magnified the sound of his feet padding against the hardened rock. For once, he could really  _feel_  the temperature in here, the heat washing over him; it felt as comforting to him as what he imagined a hot bath would be like for his human-self.

The voices he'd heard from inside became clearer, but it was still hard to make out words. All Fen could tell was that a squawky voice was talking very excitedly with a much more level-sounding one. Then before he knew it, the tunnel opened into a room.

The brightness of the area he stepped into was dazzling. He instinctively squinted upwards, away from the light, and saw that the room had been constructed all the way to the volcano's open mouth, its arch-like walls following the same shape as the mountain's exterior. The room seemed to be built around a high, circular podium of rock, which stood directly below the mouth.

As he lowered his gaze, trying to take everything from the vast room in, he was stunned at the number of Pokémon in front of him – it looked well over a hundred. And though there were more species than he could count here, their colours were all similar hues of reds and yellows to his own. Flaming tails and manes were in abundance, and he quickly realised that this, rather than any natural light, was what gave the room such an intense glow.

He then noticed that almost all those Pokémon were staring right at him, a few of them whispering to each other. A huge Arcanine, whose head alone was almost the size of Fen, strode very slowly over to him, and laid down vertically to meet him closer to eye-level.

"Greetings, Chimchar. What is your relation here?" he asked. His hoarse voice echoed in the silence.

Fen looked at him blankly. "…I'm sorry?"

The Arcanine seemed to suppress a smile at his words. "What I mean to say is, you appear rather dazed by everything. Have you any family here? And if not, you must be seeing this place for the first time?"

"No, I don't have any family," Fen said slowly.  _Why are they asking this now?_ "I have a friend who used to live here, I guess… but yeah, this is my first time here."

At this, and without warning, the Pokémon gathered behind the Arcanine broke into a rapturous spate of claps, cries, cheers, and blasts of fire into the air.

The Arcanine raised a paw slightly and the crowd quietened again, though their eyes remained fixed on Fen. "Well, I welcome you to Arkan, the largest home of Fires in all of Kyunn. You can call me Ark, and while I may be our leader by name, we are all in one family here."

Fen attempted to smile back, but he hated having so much attention on him. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I'm Fen."

Ark seemed to sense his awkwardness. "Ah, I apologise if we intimidate you," he said, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd. "Hopefully what I ask next will be more enjoyable. Are you aware of our initiation ceremony, regarding newcomers like yourself?"

"Initiation?" Fen repeated hesitantly. "No, I don't-"

"No matter!" Ark roared, and the rest of the crowd swelled in noise again. "You appear to be by yourself, Fen, which makes it very simple. The initiation is this: pick one of us to fight. It is entirely your choice who. Nothing rests on the outcome… except your pride, of course." The emphasis he put on  _pride_ suggested that this fight was, in fact, very important indeed.

_What else would Pokémon have done for an initiation?_ Fen thought with an amused smile. He turned back to the eager-eyed crowd, who all seemed to be trying to suppress their excitement, and his smile faded.  _Now, how am supposed to choose one of_ them _out of this many? I recognise a few species here, but I'd never thought about them in the context of picking fights…_

"Hey, pick me, pick me!" An orange and black Pokemon broke the silence, flapping frantically above the crowd to make itself seen. Fen didn't know the species, but recognised the squawks as the first muffled voice he'd heard from outside.

When Ark turned to look at the bird he quickly shut up, and dropped a few feet lower. "The choice is entirely yours, Fen," Ark reminded him.

Even if the bird had broken some code of conduct, Fen was very glad to have someone put themselves forward. "Okay," he nodded at the hovering bird. "I'll take you on."

A slight pause, then another burst of cheering came from the crowd. "Very well!" Ark declared. "Charro, the Fletchinder, will fight our newest Fire, Fen!"

Ark nodded to a few Pokemon behind him, then before Fen knew what was happening a set of arms pushed him forwards, escorting him to the east side of the cave where a wide rectangular box had been marked out in the ground. This area was more scorched than any other.

He was situated on one end, with the Fletchinder named Charro landing at the other. Lowering himself into a fighting position, Fen felt oddly confident, which puzzled him considering he knew nothing about this other Pokémon, other than the fact it could fly.

There wasn't time to consider that, though, as Ark roared "Begin!", and the crowd burst into life once more.

Charro took off and almost immediately swooped towards Fen. The bird was too fast to avoid, its beak ramming into his face. The crowd 'oooohed' as he fell backwards.  _I can't be waiting for an invitation to attack, then,_ he thought.

Fen quickly sprung up, jumping four feet high towards Charro. The bird jerked back his upper body but pulled his wings in front of them, leaving them exposed to scratches. While Fen couldn't hang in the air long, he landed good swipes with both hands. It brought a squawk from Charro who shot out a burst of fire in response, though it disappeared into the air above Fen as he fell.

Fen looked for Charro in the air and saw him flying upwards, ready to build speed for another aerial assault. Eventually, the bird's wings tucked into his body and he dove at Fen again; this time Fen managed to throw himself backwards from the beak, but Charro kept flying forwards and his long legs kicked out at Fen instead, knocking him to the floor for a second time.

Charro had already begun his previous routine by the time Fen could face him again. He tried to think above the background noise.  _He seems to use the same attack with his beak, and while it's too fast for me to reliably avoid, the hits haven't hurt too much. He's quick, but not overly strong…_

An idea came to him. He held his arms up, and when Charro descended a third time he tried to grab a hold of the bird's head. He was a moment too late however, getting another beak to the face while his arms only clutched at hot feathers.

He heard a couple of chuckles from the crowd now, and fought to retain his focus.  _Come on, this could still work! I just need to know the exact time he'll attack… and if he's like any other Pokemon, he should respond to_ this _…_

He got onto all-fours and pretended to scratch himself with a back leg – another taunting technique. The crowd howled with derision and it had a similar effect on Charro. The bird squawked and went for the same attack, but this time Fen managed to grip one hand on his beak and the other on the side of his head. He skidded in Charro's direction, while Charro squirmed furiously to try and free himself. Fen had to throw the bird away off him moments later when he lost his grip.

Charro managed to kick him away before he could attempt a scratch flurry, but was hovering low to ground, trying to work some energy back into his wings. Fen saw the opportunity for a fire attack, and breathed in.

He was suddenly overwhelmed with the energy he felt; the strength of fire in his stomach was barely enough to contain. He didn't know what this meant, but there was only thing he could do mid-action: exhale.

What he released wasn't embers, but a raging stream of fire, a flamethrower, which forced his jaws open wider than he would've thought possible. He was so stunned that the fire disappeared almost immediately, making him lose balance and tumble over.

He saw Charro on the ground now, smoking a little from the attack. The bird tried flapping his wings again, but it only managed to propel him forwards a little. He lunged weakly at Fen with his beak, who was easily able to swerve it and land four twin-scratches on Charro's body. Charro toppled over, and with a final effort held up his wing in acknowledgement, before it flopped to the ground, outstretched with the rest of him.

Fen heard Ark shout something about the fight being over, then the crowd suddenly rushed towards him, handing out a mixture of congratulations, slaps on his back, a few words of advice… but he was preoccupied with himself. The rush of energy he'd felt when breathing in had died down slightly, yet his body still felt different.

As soon as he knew his fire came from his stomach, he'd become roughly aware of the feeling of it inside him. Now, not only was the sensation stronger than before, but he could feel the warmth in in his hands and feet too.  _Has… something changed inside me? How did I even do that last attack?_

"Hey uh, Chimchar? Fen? You there?"

Fen refocused. The crowd was dispersing, and in front of him was a quadrupled 'mon that looked a bit like Ark but smaller, with lighter fur and wider ears – a Flareon. It offered him a paw up, which he gratefully took.

"Are you okay? The 'mon here can go pretty wild when spectating fights… I mean it's cool, but equally exhausting when you're in the middle of it."

Fen smiled at his honesty. "Yeah, I'm okay."

The Flareon nodded. "But 'char, that was a great fight you had! I've battled Charro a few times and that strategy you used wasn't one I'd thought of. I guess fighting 'mon in the air requires some different thinking, huh?"

"Uh… yeah," Fen said vaguely. He shook himself. "Sorry… I'm trying to figure out how I breathed that much fire at once."

"Oh, you think you learned a new move?" The Flareon looked happy. "They say that since the heat of Arkan is way hotter than most climates you'll find on Kyunn, Fire abilities come more naturally to us here. I felt something different when arrived, too."

It sounded outlandish to Fen, but the theory made more sense than anything he could think of. "So… the greater heat of this place released some extra fire I had, or something?" he asked.

"I think so. Not an expert on that stuff, though," the Flareon said, then paused. "I'm Leo, by the way. Ark asked me to help show you around here, since he figured you could do with a little less attention than you were getting. Oh, and since I know your name, don't worry about the Fire greeting. Unless you really want to…"

Just then, Charro came flapping slightly breathlessly over to them. Despite losing, he looked in high spirits.

"H-hey, well battled, 'mon! Though I went a little easy on you, being new and all… but still! You're strong for jus' a hatch." He turned to Leo. "I told you I hadn't seen this guy before! Didn't I tell you?"

"Yeah, and it was a lucky guess," Leo sighed, in a manner reminiscent of Ryu. "I know you really can't see Natu from the volcano's peak."

"Oh, you know a lot about being that high, do ya?" Charro chirped back triumphantly. "I won the bet, so you've gotta give me a free hit in our next fight!" He addressed Fen. "You don't know it Fern, but it's thanks to you that I'm finally gonna get one over Leo! If there's anything I can do to welcome you-"

" _Thanks,_ Charro," Leo said, flicking an ear at the bird. "Your name was Fen, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, sorry!" Charro squawked. "It's just, y'know, I thought of Monferno, and Fern, and… well, I…"

"It's fine," Fen said quickly. "Uh… what is a hatch?"

Charro blinked at him. "A 'mon that hasn't evolved. Like, they look the same as when they popped out of their egg. Roughly."

"Yeah," Leo nodded. "You… might wanna get used to introducing yourself though, Fen. Everyone here'll be keen to talk to you."

"Are new 'mon not very common here?" Fen enquired. Everything he'd heard and observed so far suggested as much.

Leo frowned. "Not really… the fact that this climate's only possible for Fires to live in rules out a lot of species. I was actually the last new 'mon to walk in like you just did, since I was hatched an Eevee."

Fen faintly remembered Eevee as a species with too many evolutions to keep count of. "Did you always want to evolve into a Flareon, then?" he asked, interest piqued.

Leo looked at the floor sheepishly. "To be honest, it was a bit of an accident... I came across the stone while by myself, and only realised after touching it that it must be a special one. I could've left it there and gone back home, but I was a little excited and… basically, it just happened right then. It took some time to adapt to all the changes that brought, but I'm really glad I did it, especially since I can live here now."

_"So,_ Fen," Charro took over, slightly impatiently. "About time we showed you 'round the place, huh?"

"Uh… sure."  _Was he invited?_ Fen thought.

Charro went on. "I guess we'll start with what you're sitting in. This is The Arena; every full moon we have a knockout right here to find the strongest 'mon. An Infernape's our current champ, actually, so I guess you could pick up some moves from her. I'll be challenging as soon as I can evolve again, though," he declared, lifting his beak proudly.

"We have a flamethrower competition, too," Leo added. "Ark's still the best at that, so much that most 'mon have stopped trying to beat him. Though I'm told it's been ruining his voice, so he might be retiring soon."

Leo and Charro started showing him around the rest of the cavern. There was a wall with numerous cubby holes carved into them, which Fen was told served as a temporary supply storage for any 'mon heading out. The cubby holes were manned by a tall Pokémon that Leo told him was a Delphox. Fen had worried that not knowing a species name was treated as an unforgivable sin to Pokémon, but neither of his guides seemed to mind it.

Then, they passed an area in a mostly deserted corner, where the volcano rock had been elaborately shaped into a series of small rooms, which were only enterable from one side. "Most 'mon here are happy to sleep anywhere in the cavern," Leo explained, "but these places are for anyone who needs a bit of privacy, for whatever reason."

As Leo predicted, all kinds of Pokémon stopped Fen as they walked, slowing them to barely a Shellos-pace. Unlike Leo, they all did the Fire greeting with him, but he wasn't able to consistently repeat the power of his flamethrower on Charro. Eventually, his throat started aching with the amount of embers breathed.

Many asked who it was he knew from Arkan, to which he told them Cyan, and a few difficult moments arose when he was pressed on who his family were. "This Quilava can't be the  _only_ Fire you know," another Chimchar, who he could distinguish from himself mostly by the greater effort she had put into ordering her disorderly hair, was telling him. "Seriously, who were your parents? Or…" her face darkened, "don't tell me you were abandoned at hatching? Oh Mew, I didn't realise-"

"It's not like that," Fen said hastily. "I just… can't tell you who my parents are. That's all I can say. Sorry."

_Maybe saying I was an orphan would make me look a little less suspicious?_ he wondered.  _But, I equally don't want the pity of everyone here_ _–_   _if that is how they'd treat a Pokemon without parents..._

The Chimchar looked at him curiously for a moment, but went on to ask about his impressions of Arkan anyway. From that point on though, Fen had Leo to thank for skilfully deflecting away any enquiries about his 'family'.

Towards the north end of the cave, a number of bags and empty buckets scattered the floor. A couple of bird Pokémon closely resembling Charro were resting.

"In case you wondered where the food and water here came from," Leo said, "we send out a group of Flyers each day to retrieve some from down the mountains. They're out right now, though."

"I managed to get today off, otherwise I'd be out there too," Charro interjected helpfully.

Fen had another glance at the mass of bodies in the cave. "They must be carrying a lot to feed everyone."

"Oh yeah!" Leo said. "A couple of Charizard we have can carry about four bags at once. This system works pretty well though, even if there has been some rough weather lately. It's lucky that Flyers are more used to being in the rain, eh?"

Fen slowed.  _The weather._ He'd been so caught up in the heat of the volcano, the welcoming he'd gotten, his fight with Charro… it was like he'd forgotten why he was here.

_But why_ am  _I here?_ he thought alarmedly.  _I'm wasting time! Where's Ryu now? Did he find water okay?_

Both Leo and Charro seemed to be wondering why he'd stopped. "Sorry. Just… remembered something," Fen passed off, though he didn't start walking again. "What's been so rough about the weather, Leo?"

"Well…" Leo frowned. "There's been a few storms that just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. We had to crowd into the corners of the cave because the rain was coming down so hard. A few 'mon seemed to think there were ground tremors the other day too, but I didn't notice them."

"Hey, I heard some rumours of earthquakes further north," Charro said. "Y'know if that's true?"

"There was one in Sanguin Town while I was there," Fen said.

Charro's wings inflated in surprise. "Huh, who would'a thought? Although, I wouldn't be able to feel them even if I tried…"

"So why do you think this stuff's happening?" Fen asked. The blank looks he got back left him little option but to elaborate. "I mean, with these earthquakes, storms… this weather isn't normal for Kyunn. Aren't you a bit worried about it?"

Leo's ears lowered slightly. "Sure, it's unusual," he said slowly. "But… there's nothing we can do about it, is there? And besides, the fact that the weather isn't normal means I doubt it'll stay like this for long. I don't see any reason to worry." Charro nodded in agreement.

Fen looked to the floor, trying to suppress a scowl.  _I didn't expect anything different, but still… How can they not be concerned with what's happening? Pokémon here treat nature with so much trust, like it can't do any wrong. But I… I know there's something wrong, I just_ do _! Even if the weather's been quiet for a few days now, and this doesn't make sense to anyone else, I have to believe it… I've come all this way…_

"Fen, is something wrong?" Leo asked concernedly. "You've been acting really distant just now."

Fen looked Leo in the eye. Something seemed to want to stop him saying the words he needed to, but he forced his mouth open.

"I… I need to leave."

It came out louder than he wanted. Leo and Charro stared at him, shocked into silence. A few other Pokémon seem to have overheard, and were now observing him with similar surprise.

"You're just leaving?!" Charro exclaimed. "But… what're you doing here? Why'd you come so far? We're not close to any kinda towns or… y'know, other places for Fires to live!  _Especially_ if you came from the north! There's nothing good that's south of here!"

"I know," Fen sighed, lowering his voice. "I'm looking for an Absol. I was told the most likely place to find one was on Glyciak Mountain, so that's where I'm going. Basically, I think something's wrong with the weather and natural disasters this island's been having, and I want to find out why."

Leo and Charro continued to stare at him. "Fen…" Leo looked at him worriedly. "Glyciak? Absol…?"

"D'you know how cold it is up there?" Charro squawked, eyes bulging. "I've only flown over it once, but Entei… I thought my wings were gonna snap! And your reason for going is that something's wrong with the weather?! Are you serious?"

"I  _am_  serious!" Fen said impatiently. "Look, if I explained my reasons in full, not only would it be a long story that I  _don't_  want to tell, but I doubt you'd believe it anyway! Okay?"

Charro let out a huff, turning his beak away. "You're crazy," he muttered. "Have fun getting frozen, then." He began beating his wings to fly off.

Fen realised that he might've been too strong. "Charro, I didn't mean to offend you-"

But it was too late. In a matter of seconds, Charro had already swooped far away to another corner of the cave, and was gesticulating something with his wings to those around him.

"Ignore him, Fen," Leo said to him. "He gets like this sometimes. The thing is that we both just assumed by how you arrived, turning up with no supplies and all, not knowing anyone, that you were staying…"

"My partner's got our supplies," Fen said quickly. "He's outside here because he isn't a Fire. But that's another reason why I need to get going."

"Uh… right." One of Leo's legs pawed at the ground. "Of course you don't have to stay… while I agree that this journey to Glyciak is pretty dangerous, I won't demand to know your personal reasons for doing it."

Fen brightened up. "I appreciate that, Leo."

Leo nodded back. "Were you going to leave now? Is there anything you need from here?" He glanced up through the volcano's gap. "The birds on shift won't be back for a while if it's food you wanted…"

Fen looked around, wanting to try and savour this place for the little time he had left. His eyes fixed upon the huge bank of rock in the centre of the room, which they'd been navigating around the entire time. "What's this place about?" he asked.

"Oh,  _that_ place?" Leo grinned. "You've made a good choice; if I was gonna show you one thing before you left, it would be the crater. C'mon, follow me."

Leo trotted off towards the bank, Fen close behind.  _I hardly could have explained things to Charro much differently,_ he thought sadly.  _Maybe my tail flared again and he just got the wrong idea? Ugh, I hate this body sometimes..._

Leo walked around the rock until they came to a rough set of carved steps. "Here we are," he said cheerfully. He climbed up the steps, until his front legs and head were peeking over the edge of what Fen now realised wasn't just a bank of rock, but a massive circular hole. Fen scrambled up so he could do the same, then looked down.

The only word he could produce was "Wow", and it felt woefully inadequate. Only a few metres below them was pure, bubbling, blindingly orange magma. Watching it flow almost silently, thicker than any normal liquid, was mesmerising. Yet after about 30 seconds Fen got a most unusual itching sensation on his body, and it took a moment for him to realise what it was: he felt too hot. He pulled his head away slightly.

"Bet you wondered how this place was so warm?" Leo was grinning. "It's this." He too had retreated, but remained close to the crater.

"Yeah…" Fen murmured absently. The hotness seemed to have made his initial amazement retreat, and a more rational part of his brain was whirring. "That magma… this must be a properly active volcano," he said. "You – everyone here – you're living  _inside_ an active volcano. Is that safe?"

"I... don't know what you mean by active," Leo said, giving him another odd look. "But I mean, of course it's safe! 'Mon have been living here for generations – I think they'd know if something bad was going to happen. You know, uh..." he leant closer to Fen, "Ark, as he's known, comes from a long line of Arcanine apparently. The volcano wasn't named specifically after him, if that's what you thought. It's way, way older than that."

Fen briefly stuck his head back over and couldn't help marvelling again at the sight below them.  _Maybe I am overreacting… I should trust that the Pokémon here know what they're talking about. But still… if that were to erupt, who knows what would happen…_

He finally stepped away from the pit, and Leo followed. "Thank you, Leo," he said. "I'm glad I could see this place, even if I can't stay. It's truly amazing."

He meant it, too. The skill involved in essentially carving out a mini town from volcanic rock was quite something; as well as the ingenuity of the Pokémon's food system, using the volcano's natural opening to their advantage. And of course, being able to see the inner workings of the volcano from so close.

"Hey, don't forget the flamethrower you learned how to use!" Leo chirped back, before his face became serious. "I think we should tell Ark that there's been a misunderstanding with you here, and that you were never staying to begin with. Do you mind waiting just a little longer?"

Fen twiddled his thumbs anxiously. "No, that's okay." Leo was too nice for him to be more impatient than he was already.

Ark was napping in a quiet corner of the volcano. Leo hesitantly nudged one of the Arcanine's huge paws with his head, to which he woke, blinking dreamily between Leo and Fen. Fen explained his situation as vaguely as he could, and fortunately, though his tiredness may well have been a factor, Ark didn't ask for further details.

They walked past the crater again on the way to the entrance, and Fen found quite a few Pokémon casting him bemused looks at him.  _I guess I shouldn't be surprised that word travels quickly in here, for what is essentially one big house. And I can hazard a guess at who this particular word came from..._

The continued looks started to irritate him.  _Ugh, they probably think I'm as crazy as Charro does._   _Maybe if I was just an ordinary Pokémon, with no amnesia or human memories, I_ would  _be as content living here as everyone else. But I'm not, and until I work out my emotion attacks, my old life and everything else, I can't be content at all… Not to mention I'd be leaving behind Ry-_

He felt something move under him and froze. Leo had stopped too, but was only looking concernedly at him. "Did you feel something?" Fen asked quickly.

"I'm… I'm not sure," Leo replied, a little nervously.

Fen glanced around to his side that wasn't obscured by the crater. No-one seemed to have been disturbed. Had he imagined that tremor?  _Surely… this place has been dormant for generations… there's no way that was anything serious…_

"I'm imagining things," he said, mostly convincing himself. "I really need to get going. Sorry that I couldn't stay here longer, Leo, but once I find this Absol-"

**_BANG._ **

A sound like a shotgun went off inside his head, and the ground lurched, throwing him helplessly to the floor. He had gone deaf – or at least, all he could hear was an awful booming noise that seemed to rattle his whole body, the ground continuing to shake under him.

He knew immediately what this was, but comparing the magnitude of this earthquake to the one in Sanguin Town would be like comparing his weakest embers to one of Ark's flamethrowers. He clawed desperately at the ground, looking for a grip, but the crater's bank he'd fallen against was too smooth. He felt paralysed with fear.

After what felt like hours, the tremors died down enough for his ears to pick up distant wails of despair, a sound he felt like making himself. The earthquake had sucked all the energy from him, and when he lifted his head, which itself took a great effort, he saw a terrifying symmetry with almost all the rest of the cave. Every Fire Pokémon, save for the birds which were screeching hysterically above him, was flat out on the floor, struggling to move.

Then his breath caught as another rumbling came.  _Another earthquake? No… this one's different… it feels less deep, as if the source of it is coming from somewhere closer… but where could that-_

He heard a scream from above. "ERUPTIOOOOON-"

Then, the ground literally threw him; the rock floor he had laid on exploded upwards, hurling him through the air as easily as a Machoke tossing wood. He felt his head crack against a wall and then saw himself falling face first, helpless to protect himself.

A cry just escaped his mouth when it mingled with another. He felt something bite hard around his leg, and suddenly he was floating above the ground, head dangling upside down.

Looking frantically around, he saw Leo next to him, held up by the claws of one of the large birds he'd seen earlier. Then a voice, clearly straining, screamed in his ear.

"I can't carry you far!" It was Charro.  _Charro!_  "You need to get out before this whole place collapses, okay?! Don't worry about us, we'll be fine! Just get to the exit! Follow the others!"

Fen was released from the Fletchinder's wings before he could reply. Ahead, every single ground-based Fire Pokémon was running to the entrance tunnel, many already trying to cram inside ahead of others. Fen had no thought other than to do the same, his body powered by an extra burst of energy he didn't know he possessed.

The floor shook a few more times on the way, but Fen knew this wasn't an ordinary earthquake. The number of Pokémon turning their heads with a look of horror made it clear that what Charro had said was right – their volcano home was falling apart.

He and Leo scrambled outside together, and when Fen finally looked behind him, it was even worse than he'd imagined. Huge chunks of rock had broken off the volcano's heights, barrelling downwards like an avalanche. Out of the very top, which had been clear moments before, ash was exploding outwards, rapidly turning the world around it into hazy blackness.

Leo punched him in the side, screaming something unintelligible in the din. But Fen understood the message:  _run._ All he could see were two red figures moving away to the right, and they followed them. Fen couldn't tell whether it was the same path he'd travelled up, but it was  _a path_  – that was all that mattered.

They'd reached a narrow platform when a crack to their right made them both twist their heads around. A piece of volcano had crumbled off into a hundred rock fragments, which now tumbled in their direction. When Fen looked ahead again, Leo had already hared past him. He turned back to the rocks, and got a horrible, petrifying sense of deja-vu from his earlier battle with the Lycanroc. This rock avalanche was coming too fast, and too wide, and too high… no matter what he did in the next three or four seconds, it was going to hit him. Leo hadn't dallied, which gave the Flareon a chance to run past it, but Leo was even quicker than he was… surely he wouldn't make it…

"LEO!" Fen cried desperately. It blew heaps more ash into his mouth and made him almost double up in pain. Leo didn't seem to hear him, but Fen started running anyway. He didn't have much of a choice.

Hoping for a miracle, he closed his eyes. Really, he feared the worst.


	13. Names

There was no miracle.

Even though the boulder only glanced him, Fen couldn’t offer any resistance. It threw him off the path, tumbling down the mountain’s edge, and too dazed to do anything he fell 10 feet, 20 feet, 30 feet…

Then, some instinct inside him woke up and he suddenly became aware of what was happening. Extending his claws, he thrust his arms into the rock face he was falling down with all the energy he could muster. His downwards momentum made them drag at first, which was excruciatingly painful, but he eventually hit something solid and managed to secure himself. His feet claws fastened onto some rock below him too.

He didn’t dare relax, for fear of his claws unconsciously contracting. He could still hear distant crashes of the volcano’s fall, but even louder was the thudding of his heart, making him shake with its intensity. He was fully aware of what a perilous situation this still was.

All he could focus on was regaining enough energy to be able to pull himself somewhere safer. After some time, when he felt sufficiently rested, he loosened one claw so he could twist his head to face his surroundings.

Or, what should have been surroundings. The ash had only gotten worse since his fall. It might have been night-time, but he couldn’t tell; the blackness shrouding his vision was as intense as Arkan itself.

He tried to calm himself, but the instinctive desire to reach his tail’s heat couldn’t work while his limbs were stuck. So he tried thinking.

_I’m hanging off the edge of a cliff and I can’t see a thing. What do I do now?_

He started with the first idea that came to mind.

“Leo!” he cried. “Char–!”

Smoke rushed into his mouth, choking him as he tried to shout. His body shook again as he gasped for breath, and he gripped the cliff edge even tighter, praying that his claws wouldn’t snap under the pressure.

No one seemed to have heard his calls. Not that he expected either of Leo or Charro to answer him cheerfully back. If Leo had managed to escape the rock avalanche that had taken him, the Flareon would be long gone from wherever he was hanging now. Fen wasn’t sure about Charro; he hoped that all of the Fire birds had been able to fly to safety, and he knew that they weren’t affected by the earthquake impacts, but the volcanic ash would surely have made flight difficult.

 _I wish I could’ve thanked Charro for maybe saving my life,_ Fen thought. _Now, I doubt that I’ll ever see him again..._

He began to realise the implications of Arkan’s damage, beyond the two Pokémon he knew. _Over a hundred Pokémon were in that cavern, some of them weaker than me… how many of them managed to get out? How many… might have fallen like me? Died?_

It made him feel sick to consider. _Forget about that for now. I need to find some solid ground._

Slowly, he began climbing upwards in the haze, bracing himself for any loose piece of rock or for an unseen boulder to fall on him. But it didn’t happen, and he pulled himself to what must have been part of the path crossing the volcano cavern – though the debris covering every ounce didn’t make it much of a path anymore. The whole mountain had fallen into an eerie silence, excluding the constant whipping of ash in his ears.

The cavern itself appeared to have completely collapsed, and the top half of the volcano had gone with it. A little ash was still smoking from an opening at the centre, which he supposed was the crater he’d looked down only moments before the place had erupted.

Brief as his stay in Arkan had been, its fall hurt Fen immensely. All those Pokemon that had lived here, built families here, developed a whole society over hundreds of years… just like that, it was destroyed. Wiped from history.

If there was any good from this, he decided, it was that the little doubt in his mind that all those other Pokémon had been right, that the natural disasters had been mere coincidence… that was gone. An earthquake strong enough to blow a volcano apart couldn’t be merely unusual. He reflected again on the burst of energy he’d managed to escape Arkan’s cavern with, and the safety reflex of his claws when falling. _I’m just lucky that Pokémon don’t seem to die easily…_

For the second time, he mulled over what to do. Breathing in so much ash had made his mouth as dry as a Cacnea, and his stomach didn’t feel much healthier. _I need food and water from somewhere, but I can’t see there being much on the volcano… and if no-one’s here to ask–_

Then he remembered; there _was_ someone here! How could he have forgotten? Ryu would be around here somewhere, and _he’d_ been looking for water all along!

“Ryu!” Fen shouted, braving his voice. Again there was no response, but he didn’t lose hope. _I know he’ll be okay; rocks don’t hurt him like they do with me and other Fires. Ryu said he would stay within calling distance, but this ash seems to block out a lot of sound… maybe if I get to a higher platform, he’ll hear me better…?_

Fen stepped on to a tall chunk of fallen rock and called Ryu’s name a few more times, before the exertion gave him another coughing fit. Sighing, he climbed down, and his foot suddenly stepped on something peculiar. Something… soft, and furry. His breath caught.

He could see only a couple of feet, painted grey by the dust; everything else was buried under a mountain of rubble. Pushing the debris away, his chest loosened slightly when he saw the creature had dark fur and four legs, though one was bent awkwardly inwards. It had a tuft of red between its ears. It was unconscious, but he was relieved to see its abdomen rising and falling. _Well, at least it’s alive… and at least it’s not Ryu…_

He looked at it again and paused. _Hold on… red fur? Dark? That feels familiar…_ He leant in closer so his tail flame illuminated the Pokémon more. Its limbs had red tips too, and a ruff of fur was around its neck. It was roughly his height.

He remembered the sight of this Pokemon too well to doubt who it was. But he couldn’t believe it.

 _The Zorua… why is she here?_ How _is she here? Last time we saw her she disappeared without trace, so there’s no way she could have been following us… hell, I’m pretty sure she never wanted to see me again..._

He realised something else. _I wished at the time that I could’ve asked her more about Hoenn, about where she lived… so might finding her turn out to be a very lucky coincidence?_

Suddenly, the sound of rocks grinding ahead made him look up. Someone was moving.

“Ryu?” Fen called again, then swore furiously to himself. _What am I doing?! If this is a wild Pokémon, I’ve just made myself an obvious target… and I’m not in any state to fight!_

But it wasn’t a wild. A pair of eyes appeared, and Fen was sure it was the most comforting shade of bright red he would ever see. Ryu stood in front of him, so coated in ash that his face was the only part of him that had a colour. Their bag of supplies was on his shoulders as always.

Fen instantly hugged him without restraint. He couldn’t even mind that Ryu seemed reluctant to return it, or that the Riolu’s fur was strangely damp, which stung his own.

Ryu gave it a few seconds before speaking quietly. “Yeah, don’t wanna ruin our big reunion here, but uh… you’re gonna hurt yourself, Fen.” He stepped away carefully.

Fen tried to shake himself dry, but doing so caused more ash to stick to his fur, giving him and Ryu almost equal appearances. “I should’ve added, ‘don’t shake yourself’,” Ryu said.

“Thanks.” Fen did as Ryu advised. “So… why are you so wet?” he asked.

“Well, I found a-” Ryu paused, and grinned at him. “That’s the first thing you say to me? Not ‘I’m so glad to see you’, or something?”

Fen crossed his arms. “Of course I am… I hoped the hug would’ve implied that. One of those things that doesn’t require words.”

“Yeah, I’m joshing ya,” Ryu smirked. “But to answer you, while the air was still clear I managed to find a pond between Arkan and Smouldered Pass, which is where I set up shelter. And when I said I was gonna cool down… that’s exactly what I was doing, in the pond. I had to take cover as soon as this place blew its top, and then the ash covered everything, and I couldn’t dry myself very well, which is why I look like this.”

Ryu stopped smiling abruptly. “I’ve… been looking for you all over, Fen. I called your name plenty of times but heard nothing back, then I managed to run into a few other ‘mon who looked to be trying to flee, but they attacked me before I could even ask if they’d seen you… I had no idea where you were, and… I was really, really worried I wasn’t gonna find you at all.”

“I was worried too,” Fen said, though he nearly choked on the last word. “Sorry. Do you have water? My throat…”

“Oh! ‘Course, ‘course. I’ve been coughing loads as well.” Ryu chucked their flask over to him. “I got water, but I haven’t been able to find any food. I’m hoping there’ll be more in this Pass place, because I’d say that we only have enough for tomorrow.”

Fen gulped half of the flask’s contents down in one; after having a throat full of ash, the lukewarm liquid was the best thing he’d ever tasted.

He quickly filled Ryu in on what had happened since they’d parted outside’s Arkan’s cavern, though he faltered a little when explaining its collapse and his subsequent fall down the mountain. Ryu himself looked a little startled to hear his situation.

“You sure fell a long way,” he said. “This is a few hundred metres below where we parted, I think. It’s no wonder you didn’t hear me calling for you.”

Fen was surprised; he hadn’t been able to tell the difference now the volcano was in ruins. “But you managed to hear me from down here?” he asked.

“Luckily, I was fairly close by already,” Ryu said, shrugging. “And even here, it’s easy to see you with your tail.” He looked around. “We should get to the shelter. Being out here doesn’t feel safe, somehow.”

Fen had the same sensation. “Before we do that, Ryu,” he said, glancing next to him, “I need your help with something…”

Ryu followed his gaze, and when he saw the unconscious Zorua his jaw dropped in shock. He struggled to form words at first.

“What… the Dark at the river… that’s _her_ , isn’t it?” he stuttered. “But… how… she just disappeared…”

“I found her like this, just before you arrived,” Fen said. “I don’t know how she got here. Look, are you still strong enough to carry her? I’m not sure how bad her injuries are.”

Ryu hesitated. “What’re you talking about?” he asked sharply.

Fen blinked at him. “Can you carry her? She’s unconscious.”

Ryu gave him a confused look. “Are you saying… you want to rescue her now?”

“Yeah.”

“Aap?!” Ryu gave an astonished yelp. “Are you crazy, Fen? She wanted to hurt us last time we saw her! She tried to _kill_ you!”

“But she might die here if we don’t do something!” Fen hit back.”Look at her! She’s hardly going to hurt us like this, is she?”

“No,” Ryu frowned. “But what she did back then…”

“What she did doesn’t make her evil,” Fen said firmly. “I don’t forgive her exactly, but I understand… _partially_ , why she acted like she did.” Realising something, he asked Ryu, “You _did_ hear what she said after I stunned her, right? Before I gave you the oran berry?”

“Uh…” Ryu screwed his face up. “I… I wasn’t really concentrating then, no.”

Fen heartbeat quickened again. _What’s Ryu going to think about me once he hears the Zorua’s story? He barely knows anything about humans… Would he still trust me? Should I even still… no, I’m not backing down from this now!_

“Well, anyway: can you carry her?” Fen asked again. “I’ve not got much energy.”

“What’ll we do once we take her to the shelter?” Ryu pressed. “She’s gonna wake up at some point.”

Now Fen hesitated. He wanted the Zorua’s help, but given Ryu’s current thoughts, he feared how his friend would react to that plan.

“We… can decide that once we get there,” Fen said slowly. “You don’t think she’ll wake up before then, do you?”

In response, Ryu took a closer look at the Zorua, wincing when he saw her leg. “Sheesh…” he muttered. “I did think it’d need to be something big to knock _her_ unconscious, but… I think she’ll be out for a little while.” He glanced at Fen. “Fine, I’ll carry her there. Take my bag ‘case we need something, though.”

He passed the bag to Fen, hauled the Zorua over his shoulder, and then led them off.

* * *

 

Their walk in the darkness proceeded largely in silence. Fen was content to focus on walking, and not only because he was relying solely on Ryu’s sense of direction; despite resting, his legs still felt like they’d been exchanged with lead, and he was willing for them not to buckle under him before they reached shelter.

He almost walked into Ryu’s tail when the Riolu stopped suddenly, glancing around.

“Are we here?” Fen asked.

“No. Thought I heard something...”

Fen twitched his ears, listening for anything other than howling ash… then he briefly heard it too. A harsh kind of scream… it was coming towards them…

“YAAAHH!!”

Ryu jumped backwards into him, the combined weight of him and the Zorua knocking them all to the floor. Fen scrambled out and got a glimpse of the figure ahead; he couldn’t remember a name, but its glowing purple eyes, translucent form and the way it terrified Ryu made its identity unmistakable…

A Ghost.

Fen forced himself up and tried breathing fire at the floating, doll-like figure in front of him, but only a wisp of smoke came out. He froze. _All those greetings I exchanged with Arkan’s Pokémon, they must have exhausted my inner fire… oh, Mew!_ _That’s my only attack that can hurt these things! What do I do?! I’m as bad as Ryu right now, and we don’t have Savi this time!_

He quickly turned away as the Ghost’s eyes landed upon him, wary of it trying to confuse him, and he felt something swing around on his back as he moved. _The bag… that’s it!_

He whipped their bag open and scrabbled around until he found the seed pouch. He rummaged inside and randomly pulled out a seed. It was white, with red tips around the edges. The Ghost was still hovering menacingly, as if taunting them to try and attack.

_What does this one do again? Uh… I think Scout said you were meant to eat the red ones, not throw them… so then…_

He stood up to face the Ghost, whose yellow mouth grinned back at him, and bit into the seed. At once, a blaze of red-and-white heat – it certainly wasn’t fire – burst from his mouth, searing the Ghost’s entire body. It disappeared instantly in a puff of smoke.

Fen blinked for a few seconds, then painfully ran his tongue around his mouth. It was scalded all over. He tried to check the seed he’d used, but it had disintegrated the moment he’d bitten it. _That… must have been the blast seed, I guess. Whatever kind of artificial fire that was, it did the trick… and I suppose it’s better that_ I _bit into it than a non-Fire like Ryu…_

He checked that no more Ghosts were forthcoming, then bent down to where a shivering Ryu still held the Zorua. “They’re gone,” Fen said to him.

Ryu nodded, his eyes watery. “I’m sorry… we’re nearly there now… I just…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Fen said immediately, helping Ryu to his feet before he picked up the Zorua again.

Fen _was_ worried though, if the ash - he couldn’t imagine it being anything else - was somehow driving Ghosts to this area. _I can’t fight everything on my own, but if Ryu’s still as petrified of Ghosts as before I won’t have a choice! We only have two seeds and a handful of berries left now, and there’s still a whole icy mountain to climb past here… can we really do this?_

Ryu looked around continuously from that point on, jumping various times at seemingly nothing. It was to Fen’s enormous relief when he hopped off a small ledge a few minutes later, and they found themselves facing an expertly hollowed-out piece of mountain. The size made it practically a small cave.

Ryu dumped the Zorua down at the far end, then grabbed some rocks piled up against the outside of the cave and barricaded them against the opening.

“You can’t see it now, but the pond’s right next to here, so I’d be careful if you decide to go walkabouts,” Ryu explained. The safety procedures seemed to have calmed him significantly.

“Thanks,” Fen said, sitting opposite him. “You’re like a Noctowl, being able to navigate all these places in the dark…”

Ryu chuckled shortly. “Put that down to a million nights of getting home too late.” He looked over at the Zorua, who was dimly lit in Fen’s tail, and his smile faded.

“How’s she looking now?” Fen asked.

Ryu shook his head. “I’m no Chansey, but… with that leg, she won’t be able to move for a while. She’ll probably wake up before dawn, but I can’t be sure.”

“What about if we gave her an oran berry? How fast do you think she’d recover?”

Ryu looked at him questioningly. “Are you suggesting that? We have two orans left, and to fix her leg we’d probably be using a whole one. Then… _maybe_ she’d be walking by tomorrow? But look, what I suggested earlier about leaving her might have been harsh… I don’t want to see any ‘mon die, but she’s not _going_ to die if we don’t heal her! I don’t see why we should–”

“I think she can help us,” Fen said. At Ryu’s stunned expression, he added, “I mean, she already has a little, since it was her saying she was from Hoenn that made me remember that I came from there too.”

Ryu’s eyes widened. “What? _What?!_ You remembered… where you’re from? Really?”

Though Fen appreciated Ryu’s concern, the reaction worried him. _He really didn’t hear any of mine and the Zorua’s conversation… I should’ve given him that oran berry sooner._

“Well, the fact that I was from Hoenn was all I _could_ remember,” Fen said. “I don’t know if the Zorua will be willing to say much more about the region, but if she does, I hope it’ll help fix more of my memories.” He paused. “You’ve not heard of Hoenn, I take it?”

Ryu considered for a second. “No. So… what exactly did she say after you stunned her, other than where she was from? Did you find out why she was after you?”

A feeling of dread rose in Fen’s stomach. He had to tell Ryu the story that the Zorua had given him. _I’d rather tell Ryu myself than have the Zorua do it, but I can’t lie about any of the details. She might start going on about it from the moment she sees us…_

So Fen relayed the Zorua’s story as accurately as he could remember; from her being captured, to escaping Hoenn, up to how she’d heard him and Ryu mentioning humans in Sanguin Town. Then he added the rest of their exchange from when Ryu had been injured.

“Look, Ryu,” Fen added once finished, “please don’t think I’m someone different, someone bad, because of this. The Zorua doesn’t believe it, but I swear that not all humans are like the ones that hurt her. While I don’t remember who I was as a human, I hope you can see… I would never hurt any Pokémon like that, alright? It torments me enough just to know that I _could_ have been one of those people… I can’t imagine doing those things…” he tailed off, unsure what else to say, and glanced hopefully at Ryu.

Ryu sat quietly for a while. “Zorua’s really not gonna be happy when she wakes up and sees you,” he murmured, frowning.

“Well, no, of course-” Fen paused, and looked at him incredulously. “What?! What about what I just said? Doesn’t it bother you at all? I… I could have been someone terrible...”

“Hmm. _That_ bothers me, because you’re not making sense,” Ryu said with a wry smile. “So, you said that you’d never hurt a Pokémon in the way Zorua was. And I totally believe you, I know you wouldn’t lie about that. Yet you also say that sometime before now, you might have been someone who _would_ hurt a ‘mon like that. Now, when you met me for the first time, there were loads of things you could’ve done, but didn’t. Like when I wasn’t sure about you coming with me; maybe then you could’ve grabbed my bag and _demanded_ that I escort you to Sanguin Town, or else you’d… steal all my stuff, right?”

Fen’s eyes narrowed. “There’s no way I would’ve done that.”

“Exactly!” Ryu exclaimed. “What does that mean? It means… you had a personality! And that personality can’t have just come out of nowhere, given you had it then, before you knew _anything_ about yourself. You’re not, like, a totally blank slate, are you? So how you feel about these things now must be how you’ve always felt! Don’t ya think?”

Fen hesitated. “You might be right. I’ve considered that reasoning too. But even then, my personality might have changed through some other means. I can’t _really_ be sure of anything about myself. That’s the problem.”

“Well, I get that,” Ryu acknowledged. “But to be honest, even if you _were_ this horrible human in the past, I can see you’re not like that now, so it doesn’t bother me at all. I trust that you’re a good ‘mon, Fen. Or a good human. Whatever. I don’t think you should worry about it.”

He looked up at Fen expectantly, and in the end, Fen had to give in. He knew Ryu was right about one thing; if a good time to debate his past ever existed, it certainly wasn’t now.

“I’ll take your word for it, then,” he said, smiling. “Thank you.”

Ryu just shrugged, but he seemed happy.

“What were you saying about Zorua, then?” Fen asked. They seemed to have named her so through unspoken agreement.

Ryu turned serious again. “Right. Even if she can’t attack us when her leg’s so bad, I can’t see her being willing to help you, like you say. I mean, we have given her shelter here, but… I don’t know how grateful she’ll be for that. From what you said, she seems to really hate you, even when you denied being those things she accused you of.”

Before Fen could reply, a flash of turquoise to his left startled him and Ryu too. Zorua’s eyes were opening.

They both watched, frozen, as she mumbled some words Fen couldn’t make out, then blinked innocently a few times, appearing to try and decipher where she was. Her head suddenly landed upon the source of light, and her eyes sparked into life.

 _“GRRAAA-”_ She instantly attempted to lunge at Fen, but stepped heavily on her fractured leg before getting near him. Her howls of aggression turned to outcries of pain, and she fell helplessly on her side, limbs outstretched.

“W-w-where am I…” she gasped, breathing rapidly, sounding like she was trying very hard to keep her voice steady. “W-why are you two… what are you doing to me?!” Her eyes were darting around wildly, as if looking for an escape, but Fen and Ryu were blocking the only exit.

“We found you on the volcano,” Fen said, a little shakily. Even though Zorua seemingly couldn’t hurt him, he still felt a slight fear of her, the same that Ryu appeared to. “You were knocked out, and your leg was… how it is now. I think you were hit by a part of the mountain as it was falling. And this is a tunnelled rock, on the volcano’s outskirts. It’s safe.”

“I… remember the volcano…” Zorua said weakly. She looked at the two of them with a mixture of anger and confusion. “But… you two… you can’t have been following me…”

“We weren’t,” Fen said firmly. “Like I said, we _found you_. We’re looking for a certain Pokémon, and the route there took us through this volcano. That’s why we were there.”

“So why have you taken me here?” she hissed. “You… you want to make me look weak, is that it? You’re pathetic, human…”

“No, I’m trying to protect you, Zorua!” Fen said, raising his voice. “Okay, why are _you_ here then? You disappeared the last time I saw you…”

She appeared to try and laugh, but all that came out was a weak cough. “I can’t answer that. I don’t have a home, or anywhere I should be… I’m just wandering… that’s all...”

 _So it was just by chance that I found her,_ Fen thought. _And_ _of course, she doesn’t have a home anymore… her only one got taken away from her…_ Maybe it was due to the pain Zorua was in, but she sounded more sombre than she had in the past.

“Zorua, when you told me the place you were from, in the human language, I recognised it,” Fen said. “It’s Hoenn. Saying it made me remember that I lived there too, before I lost my memory and got turned into a Pokemon.”

She glared resentfully at him, but didn’t speak.

“You disappeared before I could ask you any more,” Fen continued. “But I figured you must be able to tell me a few more things, and maybe if you do I’ll remember more about Hoenn, and more about myself.”

“And why would I tell _you_ anything?” she hissed venomously, fangs bared at him.

“Because… firstly, you can’t walk until your leg recovers, and without any oran berries that might take days.”

Her expression didn’t waver. “Fine. I’ll wait days.”

Fen wasn’t too surprised by that. He thought carefully about his next words. “Secondly, you said to me that when you escaped the place you were being held, you tried to find your old home again, and your parents, but you were completely lost and had to abandon that hope. If you still want to try, then... I think I can help you find them.”

An immediate, sharp intake of breath next to Fen made him turn his head. Ryu was staring wide-eyed at him, disbelief etched on his face. _“What?”_ he mouthed.

Fen quickly tried to give him a reassuring look in return before turning back to Zorua. He expected her to react similarly to when he’d told her he was a human; a brief moment of surprise before a torrent of anger towards him. This time though, the anger didn’t follow – in fact, she stared at him almost identically to how Ryu had. She opened her mouth a few times before managing to find the voice to say a single word. “Explain.”

Fen breathed a silent sigh of relief, and continued: “If I’m able to remember more about Hoenn, and you explain what your home looked like, there’s a chance that I’ll know where that place is. If not, I should still be able to find out so long as we find a way to get to Hoenn. And… I figured since you were able to reach here from Hoenn once before, you’d be able to do the same again.”

“If you’re talking about riding a Flyer, it’ll be impossible right now,” Zorua said. Her voice, though still weak, was now as level as Fen had heard it. “With the weather as abnormal as it has been, ‘mon will probably be hiding away, and certainly not going on big flights across the sea. Plus, I was fortunate enough just _finding_ a Flyer I could deceive the first time. Unless I’m mistaken, you won’t be able to deceive anyone – so even if _I_ manage to hitch a ride with some unfortunate bird, there’s no way that you will.”

 _Not unless I ask them explicitly,_ Fen added in thought, feeling deflated. _But that still comes down to what she said – birds won’t be doing much flying with the weather being so crazy–_

He paused. _Wait… she mentioned the weather! “_ Y-you think the weather’s been abnormal recently?”

“What are you, a Psyduck?” Zorua snapped. “Of course it has! Something like today was just a matter of time, what with the previous earthquake, all those storms, the weird heatwaves in between them…”

“No, I agree! That’s why we’re here!” Fen exclaimed. Before he knew what he was saying, he gushed, “We’re looking for a Pokémon called Absol, in a place called Darkrai’s Knot which is south of here. They’re supposed to sense natural disasters, so I thought that if anyone could explain what’s been causing these problems, it’d be them. But… every other Pokémon we’ve met so far seems to think that the weather’s nothing to worry about, which I couldn’t understand. Everyone apart from you, that is.”

Zorua didn’t respond immediately, and Fen hesitated, thinking over what she’d said again. Learning how unlikely it would be to get back to Hoenn was disappointing, but that wasn’t his top priority right now; finding a way to stop the natural disasters had to be a matter of urgency. And since Zorua agreed the weather was a problem… a different idea was rapidly forming in his head.

“Zorua, you want to stop these disasters too, don’t you?” he said.

“Well, it would stop _this_ from happening,” she muttered, gesturing to her twisted leg. “And if you _are_ able to help me how you say you can, and there is a chance of finding my home again… finding a way there would be a lot more feasible. So yes, stopping them would be good.”

Fen took a deep breath. “Then there’s a deal I want to propose. I’ll give you one of our oran berries, and in return you’ll tell me everything you can about Hoenn. Unless something pretty major happens to me because of that, Ryu and I are going to continue travelling towards Darkrai’s Knot. And since you agree…”

Ryu suddenly gave Fen a hefty nudge, putting him off.

“Uh… what is it?” he asked.

“We need to talk about this,” Ryu said forcefully. “Outside.”

Fen was a little taken aback by his tone. “Now?”

Yeah." He got up and shot an icy glance at Zorua. "And don't you dare try anything."  
  
Zorua scowled back at him and held her good paw up in mock surrender. "Like I'm going anywhere, idiot..."  
  
Ryu kept up their angry staring contest for a few more seconds before turning away. He took Fen just outside the cave entrance, piling the rocks up again so Zorua wouldn’t hear.

“Fen,” he said unsteadily, his paws shaking slightly, “are you about to propose what I think you are? You want to actually _team up_ with Zorua? You’re gonna ask her to travel with us?”

Fen wasn’t surprised anymore at Ryu’s ability to second-guess him, but his tone was more concerning. “Yes, but there’s good reasons for this. If you heard–”

“NO!” Ryu suddenly exploded. “No way! What are you thinking?! Have you forgotten that she pushed you into a river? That it’s only ‘cause I was there that you didn’t _drown?!”_

“Of course not!” Fen snapped back. “But you’ve heard her story. She was trying to protect herself–”

“Protect herself by drowning ‘mon? By ripping ankles apart? That’s… that’s not protecting yourself, that’s psycho behaviour! To fight with the intent of _hurting,_ like she does… that’s not what civilised Pokémon do! That’s not okay! That’s… that’s...”

Ryu’s last word trailed off, but he recovered. “And she could sabotage us so easily! She could steal our food – no, steal our whole _bag_ and just run off! She could… disguise herself as anything, then deceive us that way… she could even just make up whatever she’s going to tell you now! You see what I mean? This can’t be a good idea!”

Fen had never seen Ryu so angry with him, and his body seemed to want to retaliate in kind. It took a few difficult seconds to suppress his tail flame.

“Zorua wouldn’t be my first pick of allies either,” he said, forcing his voice to be calm. “But look at what’s happened today. Look at where we still have to go! The Pokémon in Arkan thought I was crazy for going all the way to Glyciak Mountain, as did the ‘mon we spoke to in Sanguin Town. I’ve heard enough to work out that what lies ahead of us will be seriously tough, especially if these disasters get worse and, though I pray there won’t be, more Ghosts show up.”

At this, Ryu’s expression sobered and he looked shamefully at the floor.

“I know you don’t want to admit it Ryu, but Zorua is strong… really, really strong. Not just at fighting, but mentally, having heard what she’s gone through in her life… I’m not sure I could’ve done what she has. And where we’re going, we’ll need every ounce of strength that we can find. I know what she did in the past is bad, maybe even inexcusable, and it’s obviously possible that she’ll betray us at the first opportunity, but… from what I can tell, she’d do pretty much anything for the chance to see her family again. That’s why I’m willing to trust her.”

Ryu slumped against the rocks. His temper seemed to have evaporated. “She might be strong, but I still think she’s crazy,” he said.

Fen paused. “I can get Zorua to apologise for what she did, if…”

“No.” Ryu shook his head. “That won’t mean anything. She’s obviously not sorry for us. She’s only listening to you because you said you can help her get what she wants.”

“Well… I can’t exactly deny that,” Fen said, “but stopping these disasters matters more to me than who we decide to team up with.”

Ryu drummed his paws against the rock for a long while, gazing distantly into the darkness ahead. “You’re better at making these decisions than me,” he said eventually, “so if you truly believe this will help us stop the disasters, and help get your memories back… I can’t really stand in your way. I want us to succeed in this as much as you do, Fen… I just didn’t think we’d need to go to these lengths to get there…”

 _Ryu…_ Fen felt so touched by his selflessness. “Listen, even though this isn’t what you want, I really think it’s the best course of action we have. You’ve had faith in me for so long, Ryu, back when no one else did… I can’t properly express how grateful I am for that. We’ve come this far together, and we’re going to succeed in this together.”

Ryu didn’t look directly at him, but Fen saw a slight smile appear on his face. “Alright, ‘mon... you go for it,” he said steadily. He made a move to go back inside, then stopped himself. “Fen... there’s one more thing.”

“Hm?”

“If Zorua can find her way home, in this Hoenn place you talk about… there’s a good chance that you can find your home there too, right?”

Fen was puzzled at the sudden subject change. “I don’t know exactly how my memories work, but I hope I’ll be able to remember where I lived, yeah.”

Ryu lingered, and for a moment it seemed like he’d say something more, but he quickly twisted his head away. “Forget it… ignore me. Let’s go inside.”

* * *

 

Inside the cave Zorua had closed her eyes, though she narrowly opened them again at the sound of their footsteps. Seeing her from afar, Fen was struck by how weak she appeared – she couldn’t even stand up.

“Okay, Zorua,” Fen said to her. “As I was saying: we’ll give you an oran berry, and in return you’ll tell me everything you know about Hoenn. We’re going to continue travelling towards Darkrai’s Knot, in the hope that we can talk to an Absol and find a way to stop these disasters. Since you agree that they’re a massive problem, I think we should work together on this. But when I say work together, I mean that we’re going to _help_ each other; whether it be fighting wilds, looking for food and water, or anything else. If you can do that, I’ll do whatever I can to help you find your family, and your home, again. But it seems that won’t be possible until we find a way to resolve the disasters, even if I _can_ remember where your home is.”

He knew it was an outlandish plan, but the mere possibility he could give Zorua of finding her home seemed to be enough for her to consider it. “You know, human,” she muttered, “before now I was hoping that I’d never see you again–”

“His name is Fen,” Ryu barked angrily, sitting significantly further away from her than Fen was. “Do you accept the deal or not?”

Zorua scowled at Ryu again. “Fine. We’re in a complete mess here anyway. I accept your deal, _Fen_.”

Fen almost reached his arm out to her for a handshake of confirmation, but realised that would probably be pointless for someone like Zorua; more importantly, he wasn’t sure if Pokémon had any concept of ‘deal-handshakes’ in the first place. “Thank you,” he said simply.

Zorua spoke in the silence that followed. “Since this means we’re working together… call me Zephia from now on.”

This took Fen completely by surprise. “Zephia?” he repeated.

“Yeah,” she said, sounding reluctant. “‘Zorua’ was what those human scum called me. Even if they say the word differently to you, I still recognise it… and I can’t stand that name anymore. I don’t usually give anyone my real name, I don’t need to, but you’re gonna have to call me _something_ , so… Zephia is the only other one I have.”

Fen nodded slowly. “Right. Zephia. Okay. So, the first part of our deal?”

“Mm,” Zephia grunted in agreement.

“Ryu… the berry?” Fen said quietly to him. Ryu laboured to take out their oran berry, then chucked it to Fen instead of Zephia. Fen held it for a moment, debating whether to wait until Zephia told him what she knew; then he saw her leg again, how she was unable to move in pain, and couldn’t bear the sight any longer. She began ripping into the berry as soon as he passed it over.

“I want you to describe the place you lived in, as accurately as you can,” Fen prompted. “And any names if you know them, please.”

He had to wait for Zephia to finish eating – not even she could hide her obvious pleasure at the berry’s healing effects. When she’d licked her paws thoroughly, she tested her bad leg, which already looked a much healthier shape. However, she winced again as she put pressure on it, so instead sat down on awkwardly her hind legs. It gave Fen a strange reassurance that she wouldn’t somehow attack them both and escape right now.

“The little cove we lived in, I only knew as ‘home’, obviously. But the cave as a whole… while my parents didn’t name it, we lived just at the edge of a river which ran into a huge waterfall, running right through the centre of the cave. So, when I was a kid I just called it Waterfall Cave.”

She paused and looked at Fen, who had a moment of frustrating thinking before giving up.

“That… doesn’t ring any bells,” he said. Zephia looked oddly at him, to which he added, “I mean, I’m not remembering anything. I probably knew it under a different name.”

“If you want a human name, I can’t give you any,” Zephia said. “Although… there were occasionally some of _them_ in the main part of the cave, where most ‘mon tended to live, too. They usually carried some weird equipment, and they were… hm. To be honest, I have no idea what they were using it for. My parents always told me to stay away from them, so whenever they showed up I would look for cover. Our own home was very well hidden, too. No one ever found us there, ‘mon or human.”

“What did the central part of the cave look like?” Fen asked. “Other than there being a waterfall.”

“That was the most striking part of it,” Zephia said. “Hm… I remember the rocks having a yellowy colour, which isn’t like anything I’ve seen here, and ground had a few big circular pits in it. The rock colour and the water gave the cave an odd kind of glow at night. Oh, some daylight came in through the top of the cave, which was open, but where we lived was shielded enough to block most of it out. I only explored at night, anyway.”

Fen paused again. He was trying to visualise the description in his head, and it what she described certainly _sounded_ familiar, _sounded_ like somewhere he’d been before, or at least had knowledge of… but it was like a mental jigsaw that needed a vital piece. He replayed her words. _She only explored at night…?_ “Does that mean you’re nocturnal?”

Zephia grimaced. “I… was. But being taken to that… _place_ , they only turned the lights off at night, so it fucked my sleep cycle pretty badly. I’m basically the same as you daytime ‘mon now.”

Fen nodded grimly. _Her past seems to get worse the more I hear about it…_

“Is there anything else you could say about the cave?” he asked. “I… haven’t remembered anything yet…”

She looked at the floor, evidently as disappointed as him. “I’m not sure what else there is. I could give you all the species of ‘mon I knew that lived there, if you like.”

She then reeled off a surprisingly long list, all of which were species Fen recognised in some capacity, but at the end of it he was still as uncertain as before.

“Okay. What about… what happened after you left home?” he asked, somewhat hesitantly. “Wait! You heard those humans saying the word Hoenn, right? Were there any other words like that you picked up? They must have mentioned the towns in and around where you were located.”

The sorrowful look Zephia gave at this made him flinch. “The thing is… I remember very little of what they were saying,” she said. “Look, this ‘Hoenn’ you talk about, I remember hearing it more than any other human word, but I was trying to block them out as much as I could… I concentrated all my efforts on thinking of how I would escape, and imagining seeing my parents…” She broke off and shook herself, as if disposing of the thought. “As for the world outside that place… I wasn’t noticing much of what was around me. I was just trying to keep myself safe.”

“Is there anything you can describe it as?” Fen asked, a little desperately. “Anything you noticed.”

“Well… I was running through mostly grasslands until managed to find that Pidgeot to fly with. I was on the coast too, which limited where I could run to.” She screwed her face up. “It’s not much… if I think of anything more, I’ll tell you.”

Fen rubbed his face with his hands. “Alright. Let’s give this a rest for today.”

Zephia nodded slowly. “You still can’t remember?”

“Mm-hm,” Fen muttered. He tried not to make his disappointment too obvious, but it was difficult.

 _I was so convinced Zephia would make me remember more, but it now seems like she can’t… and I doubt any Pokémon besides her on Kyunn will even know a thing about Hoenn. Would I only remember_ anything _if I went back to Hoenn myself? How am I even supposed to do that… swimming any distance is out of the question, and like Zephia said, I can’t disguise myself like her!_

_For now, I have to focus on our current goal. But we’re clinging to such a thin hope… that in the far south of Kyunn that everyone’s warned us about, we’ll somehow find an Absol, and it’ll be able to talk to us, and it’ll know why these natural disasters are happening, and we’ll be able to stop them… It’s no wonder Ryu sounded so down about things..._

Zephia cleared her throat across from him, making him look up.

“What’s your plan once morning arrives?” she asked.

“Oh, uh, if your leg’s good enough, we can start moving towards Darkrai’s Knot again. And like you said, you might remember more in the meantime.”

“You know where we’re going?”

“Yeah, we have a map.” Feeling the need to demonstrate, Fen retrieved and unfurled it from their bag. Unable to read the runes, his eyes were drawn to the distinctive black illustration of Arkan, then he traced their path south to the smoky, forest drawing below it. In fact, the forest was the last major drawing between them and the ice mountain depicting Glyciak. It lit a wisp of hope inside him. _Maybe we’re not so far away after all…_

He laid the map opposite so Zephia could see. “Here. Our next point is called Smouldered Pass, which looks to be a forest-y area. We’ve also got a compass to guide us south if we can’t make out the Pass itself, in all this ash.”

Zephia gazed curiously over the map. “Hmm,” she murmured, in a tone that Fen thought to be something close to approval. She pushed the map back to him when she’d seen enough. “What else is in your bag?” she asked.

“Not much right now...” Fen admitted. He emptied out the rest of its contents. “A few healing berries, a couple of useful seeds… water, some food… and this.” He gestured to the fur coat. “Helps keep me dry when it rains.”

Zephia eyed the coat carefully, but didn’t say anything. When done looking at their items, she laid on her side with her injured leg stretched out, and closed her eyes. Then a moment later, she reopened them.

“Just to be clear, because I know what _you’re_ thinking,” she began irritably, looking heavily at Ryu, who was still watching her with a distrustful look. “There is no good reason for me to, say, attack you both and run out of here right now. I’m not going to suddenly become friends with either of you, but I will work with you, because Fen here seems to know – or at least used to know – a few things about my old home, and how I can find it again. That’s it. Now stop _staring_ at me, both of you.” She flopped her head down again without waiting for a response.

Fen did as she asked, and found himself meeting Ryu’s gaze. “Goodnight then, ‘mon,” Ryu said quietly, before curling up and closing his eyes too.

Fen gave a frustrated sigh. He was glad Ryu that hadn’t waited for him to get into sleep-mode, because a big part of him had no desire to. The fear of sleep had been eating away at his mind ever since the earthquake, and he hadn’t had the heart to inform the others of his worries.

_My emotion attacks always occur the night following a disaster, and I haven’t slept since this one happened. If I try sleeping now, I’m almost certainly going to have another attack. But I don’t want that to happen again! After last time, I’m not sure I can bear another one..._

Staying awake wasn’t doing his head any favours either. He couldn’t stop turning over the descriptions Zephia had given him in his head, with the chance that he might be missing an obvious link somewhere that would help him remember. Predictably, his efforts amounted to nothing.

He then thought about the decision he’d taken on his and Ryu’s behalf to team up with Zephia. How much help would she really be willing to give? Would she and Ryu even be able to bear each other’s company; and if not, would her presence only end up slowing them down? Had he done the right thing?

 _Enough,_ he thought wearily, trying to toss the worries out of his mind. He curled himself up and sat watching his tail flame reflect against the cave walls, the dancing shadows putting his exhausted mind in a trance-like state. It was with image that his eyelids finally, unconsciously, drooped shut.


	14. Wilds

Fen opened his eyes, seeing a wall of rock opposite him that hadn’t been visible last night. He noticed that the rocks blocking their cave’s entrance had been taken down, allowing a dim light from outside to flow in. Ryu and the bag were absent, while Zephia was sitting up on her hind legs like she’d done last night. She was licking berry juice off a paw, which suggested that Ryu had recently given her something to eat; Fen was glad to see the two of them at least cooperating on a basic level.

As he stretched against a wall, feeling unusually well rested, Ryu emerged from the entrance with a full water flask. “Morning,” he said gruffly. He sat opposite Fen and slung their bag off his shoulders, reaching in to pass him a berry. “The fog’s cleared a little since yesterday, enough to see ahead of us at least, so I think we’re good to move towards Smouldered Pass once you’re ready.” He glanced back outside. “I say ‘morning’, but the sun looks more like midday… I don’t know when exactly we got to sleep last night, but it must’ve been a pretty long one.”

“Yeah… must’ve been,” Fen repeated slowly. “I… I didn’t wake up in the night, did I?”

“Hm?” Ryu and Zephia made the same noise, and both shot a very quick, irritated glance at each other. “Not that I remember,” Ryu said. “Why?”

“Yesterday was the night following a disaster, which is always the time I have an emotion attack,” Fen said. “I fully expected to have one, but I didn’t... that’s strange…”

“Huh… hey, maybe it means you’ll stop having them now!” Ryu smiled. “That’d be really good, right?”

Fen found it hard not to smile himself at Ryu’s optimism. It would be a great relief were the Riolu correct, given how awful his previous attacks had been. _But still… I wonder why it didn’t happen. It’s not like I wanted an attack, but they’ve been one of the main indicators to me that this weather is more than merely unusual… though the earthquake yesterday probably put that beyond doubt._

Fen noticed that Zephia was looking questioningly at him. He realised that she had no idea what attacks he meant. “They’re… like this outpouring of frightened emotions I’ve been getting some nights,” he said. “Hard to explain.”

Zephia’s eyes narrowed. “Right… well when you’re finished eating, can we get moving?”

Fen nodded apologetically and focused on his berry. He didn’t expect much sympathy from Zephia. “How’s your leg?” he asked her between bites.

“A little sore,” Zephia said, shaking it a little, “but strong enough to walk on. Should heal more as the day goes on.”

“Alright.” When Fen had finished, he and Ryu exchanged a silent nod like they so often did, and the latter led them out into the mist.

* * *

 As they didn’t find Smouldered Pass until late that evening, they decided to camp just outside the forest for the night before making a start the following day. Much of their journey there was spent climbing upwards, so that by the time they reached the Pass’s entrance, the little warmth given off by Arkan had completely disappeared and a chill had crept into the air. The dark volcanic ash still lingered around them, which made Fen somewhat understand the reasons behind the forest’s “Smouldered” name, though the contrast in temperature compared to Arkan also made it a little misleading.

Their day had gone much like the one after the storm at Ractyl’s Belt; the mountains seemed deserted of Pokémon, although Fen assumed most would understandably be fleeing as far as they could from Arkan. Those they did run into attacked without hesitation, and though the three of them combined had few problems defending themselves, Fen was worried in how wild the other Pokémon appeared; he assumed they were mostly civilised given how safe the area around Arkan had been the previous day, but they didn’t behave like it.

He’d found early in the day that his fire-breathing abilities were still lacking, so on Ryu’s advice he ate one of their previously-useless leppa berries, which helped immensely. The increased heat in his stomach helped warm the rest of him in the cold, too.

When they entered the Pass the next morning, the first thing he noticed was, although the trees around were the tallest he’d ever seen, they were unusually light on branches; and in keeping with the coldness, the branches he did find bore very few leaves. Fen noticed Ryu’s eyes darting around from the moment they arrived; his foraging instincts were always active, especially since they had now completely run out of ‘normal’, non-healing food. Fen would’ve expected Zephia to act the same, given how long she’d been travelling alone, but for now she focused only on where they walked. The Pass had no clear footpaths marked in the ground, so they were relying on the compass to show the way.

As they stepped over the hard, pebbly floor, Zephia suddenly stopped mid-walk and lifted her snout upwards, sniffing. “Someone’s ahead,” she muttered to them.

“What? How d’you know?” Ryu said immediately.

Zephia simply pointed to her muzzle instead of speaking. “They’re about 100 feet away. We should change direction.”

“We can’t just _change direction_ ,” Ryu objected. “In case you forgot, we’re actually _going_ somewhere, not just strolling wherever we like.”

“That’s not my point,” Zephia growled back. “We won’t go anywhere if we all get beaten to near death.”

“And why would that happen?”

As they argued, Fen’s ears were pricked up listening for any indicator of a Pokémon nearby. “I… can’t hear anything,” he said to Zephia.

“ _So_ , we shouldn’t have a problem with moving forwards,” Ryu said pointedly, already walking again.

“But…!” Zephia hissed. “Not everything makes a sound when it moves–”

A low, rasping cry silenced the three of them; then a moment later, an open mouth the size of Ryu burst out of the mist ahead, lunging at the Riolu, who just managed to duck under its huge pair of fangs.

As Ryu scrambled backwards in line with Fen and Zephia, the Pokémon slithered into view. It was twice Fen’s height, and that was in spite of its black-and-yellow scales being scrunched up behind its head to make it appear smaller. Its dagger-shaped tail swung behind its body, and was tipped with the same crimson colour that adorned the fangs hanging from the top of its mouth.

The Seviper glared fiercely at them and hissed another cry. Fen instinctively tried to move, but its glare seemed to have glued his and the others’ feet to the floor.

Ryu was the first to shake off the paralysis, and he dashed straight towards the Seviper, fists already glowing. The nearest coil of the Seviper’s body suddenly twisted around, enabling its tail to whip in Ryu’s direction. Ryu only just jumped high enough to evade it, but the tail swung back in reverse after missing, striking him in mid-air with its tip and throwing him downwards into the ground.

Fen cursed him as he ran forwards. _What’s Ryu playing at? We can’t just blindly attack this thing without a strategy! I’m gonna have to back him up now..._

The Seviper’s head stretched over Ryu as if to bite him, but Fen broke off its action by firing a flamethrower at its face – with so much body to aim at, he figured that area would hurt it the most. The Seviper snarled and whipped its tail around at him. Fen dodged it once, but this time the Seviper didn’t swing again – its attention switched back to Ryu as he looked to be powering up another force palm. The Seviper swung its tail yet again, blocking Ryu’s fist with its red tip. Sparks and a purple substance flew off, and Ryu howled at the impact. Then before Fen could prepare another attack, he saw a flash of grey move up the Seviper’s body and it suddenly jerked itself backwards. Zephia had avoided the tail completely by leaping onto the back of its head.

It screeched so shrilly that Fen and Ryu were both forced to stop and cover their ears in defence. That distraction made them unprepared for when the Seviper flailed like a Magikarp out of water, sending them both flying by the swoops of its uncoiled body. When Fen had stopped rolling in a heap on the ground, he saw that, despite the Seviper’s best efforts, Zephia was still clinging onto a point of its head with her front claws. When the Seviper momentarily stopped shaking she bit down hard on its scales, and a second, even angrier bout of flailing followed, which finally threw her off. With a new burst of energy, the Seviper used its tail to wrap itself around the Zorua while she was down. She struggled and tried to bite it again, but the its grip made her completely immobile.

“Ryu!” Fen ran over to him. “Attack the tail – that’s its biggest weapon and it can’t keep hold of Zephia without it.”

Ryu, having already felt the tail’s force twice, was slower than Fen in getting back to his feet. “The tail’s pretty thin, so I’d hit it with something physical,” he said.

 _He’s right!_ Fen realised with alarm. His body had automatically been preparing for another flamethrower, but when he considered that his first one had only really distracted the Seviper, and that Zephia’s bite had caused it much more pain, he had to assume that physical attacks were more effective than non-physical on its scales. _But if all I can do is scratch it, that might not be powerful enough to free Zephia and take it down! I need something else… a more powerful way to hit it… but what?_

The Seviper’s tail was low to ground as it continued to squeeze Zephia. Still running, Fen’s body had already decided what was doing next, as he leapt onto the tail then immediately scrambled to retain a grip on its slippery surface. The fire in his stomach suddenly flared up, particularly in his hands and feet. He only managed to manoeuvre his left arm free, but as he lifted it to scratch, its overwhelming heat distracted him.

The following moments were the first time in many days that his instincts seemed to completely take over his body - which was just as well, because he wouldn’t have worked it out consciously. Balling his free hand into a fist, he concentrated all of his inner fire into that one, tiny area. Though every part of him hurt with the effort, he didn’t let up; at first his fist glowed red, sparks flying off it, then a moment later it was engulfed in flames.

He slammed the fist down into the Seviper’s tail, the hissing of fire and the creature’s subsequent screeches of pain deafening him. From behind him, Ryu’s fist hit the other side of its tail at the same time, bending it an uncomfortable direction. Out of the corner of his eye, Fen then saw Zephia jump out of the Seviper’s weakened grip and start slashing savagely into its uncoiled body. Its tail dropped to the ground, Fen sliding off with it, but then Ryu picked up the limp tail by the hilt of its dagger shape and started swinging it into the Seviper’s own body, purple liquid flying off the tail with each hit.

Fen stepped back for a moment. It was clear that the Seviper was fighting a losing battle now, yet even as it weakened it continued to squirm and utter weak cries of pain. Ryu stopped fighting next and, to Fen’s alarm, barely staggered over to him before falling in a heap. He was covered in the Seviper’s purple liquid.

“Fen… the lum…” he murmured, and Fen instantly knew what had happened. He opened the bag, still on Ryu’s shoulders, pulled out their one remaining lum berry and gave it to Ryu, who started taking grateful, if quite feeble, bites. His own arm had been itching strangely since his fire punch, but it quickly went away after a vigorous scratching.

An earth-moving _crash_ signalled the final fall of the Seviper as its head hit the floor. Zephia seemed to have knocked it completely unconscious. Fen expected her to run towards them, but instead she walked slowly around the Seviper’s body, examining it very closely.

“Zephia?” he called uncertainly. “What are you–”

She shot him with a silent look that told him very clearly to _shut up._ She sniffed the air again. “Something’s coming,” she said, just loud enough for Fen to hear. “We need to move!”

 _But… we can’t!_ Fen tried to communicate, gesturing furiously at Ryu. He was barely conscious, and Fen doubted that he or Zephia would be strong enough to carry him away. He dowsed Ryu in water in a hasty attempt to heal his poisoning, but moments later another cry broke out ahead of him and a new, very odd-looking Pokémon appeared.

This ‘mon’s body was mostly comprised of a giant, spiny neck, which joined its head to a base with four smaller legs holding it upright. Two similarly skeletal arms grew from where its ears should have been and these, along with its tail, were twin-clawed at the ends. It was perhaps the ugliest creature Fen had ever seen.

Tail arched high over its body, the Drapion skittered over the fallen Seviper towards Zephia, who now scampered back closer to Fen and Ryu. While Fen was still thinking about how to attack, something jumped into him from the side, knocking him away. A lighter-coloured mini-Drapion had appeared, and it jabbed him a couple of times with its stingers before Fen managed to beat them away, retaliating with a flamethrower. But then another Skorupi jabbed at his side, and before he could turn his attention to this one, a pair of pincers wrapped around his torso, plucking him easily into the air. He was in the Drapion’s grip.

 _That was a distraction!_ he thought ruefully. _What do I do now?_ He tried wriggling to free himself, but it made angry sparks flash on the pincers holding him. They closed even tighter, immobilising him, then he was blinded by a flash of yellow. A wave of electricity far stronger than any he’d felt before hit him. His limbs felt like they were being wrenched off his body, and they quickly went limp.

He tried to scream for help; instead of words, what came out was only his high-pitched squeal of a cry. Then the claws holding him jolted, loosening very slightly. He couldn’t see what was happening, and the ringing in his ears didn’t help, but he guessed either Ryu or Zephia had hit the Drapion. It gave him a tiny amount of room to manoeuvre, but the problem was that his neck-downwards remained paralysed; only his head seemed unscathed from the claws’ electricity.

 _These pincers are surely too strong to bite though..._ He twisted his head and saw a spherical hand that they connected to. He tried biting down on that but it wasn’t enough, barely making a dent. Then his shortness of energy, just like against the Seviper, seemed to inspire his brain into thinking outside his normal limits. There _was_ a way he could create a greater energy to his bites, even if he hadn’t tried it before… and once again, his instincts took over.

He focused on breathing fire, drawing what heat he could manage into his throat. Then where he would normally breathe out, he opened his mouth and immediately clamped onto the Drapion’s hand again, with the fire surging out onto it. The taste of its burning scales almost made him gag, and the effort drained his energy alarmingly fast, but he held on and after a few seconds heard a cry from above him. The claws snapped apart, dropping him to the ground on his stomach.

The pent-up fire in his body extinguished just as abruptly as his fall. Fen could hardly move; after everything he’d done to free himself from the Drapion’s grip, using energy he didn’t know he had, there was nothing left to give. The Drapion, however, had already recovered and stood over him, pincers snapping eagerly again. Fen looked around his field of vision desperately. _Ryu? Zephia?_

Hearing a grunt from behind, he turned his head just in time to see Ryu hurl a blue seed over him towards the Drapion’s body.

But in his still-poisoned state, Ryu hadn’t thrown with a great deal of power, and the Drapion had seen what he was trying. The creature had time to lift up a pair of pincers, catch the sleep seed in mid-air and immediately toss it far away out of sight. The seed broke with a faint crack, and the Drapion remained very much awake.

Fen’s heart, having leapt when seeing Ryu’s plan, now sunk even lower, and he stared at the floor, defeated. Their best chance of winning the fight was surely gone. He desperately tried to think… they still had an oran berry, if Ryu could just fish it out… maybe then they’d be able to run away from this thing… but what then? If the whole forest was swarming with these Pokemon, they didn’t stand a chance of getting through it… was their only option to abandon the whole journey? Or die otherwise?

_“HIIISSSSAAACC!”_

Fen’s head shot up. Out of nowhere, a new Pokémon was standing between him and the Drapion. Its cry was very similar to one he’d heard a few moments ago – another Seviper, but this one confronting the Drapion instead of him.

The two vast Pokémon had a silent standoff for a few seconds, the Seviper extending its coiled-up body to tower over the dark purple creature. The Drapion eventually backed off, and after a few more tense moments finally skittered away into the mist. Triumphant, the Seviper turned its head to face Fen and Ryu. At least, Fen _expected_ it to look triumphant, having apparently seen off the Drapion’s fight for them. It instead bore an odd, gormless expression, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was wrong with it.

“Please, don’t hurt us…” Ryu gasped behind him, holding out the few berries left from their bag. Like Fen, he was avoiding direct eye contact after their first experience of its glare. “Take our food… nothing else in this bag is of value…”

The Seviper continued staring for a moment, then its mouth opened. It appeared to be missing a tongue. “This is convincing, then,” said Zephia’s voice. “Good to know.”

Stunned, Fen shook his head. Now there was no Seviper, only the familiar Zorua standing where it had been. She walked around to address both him and Ryu, and her face filled with rage.

“Listen to me, both of you. I’m not sure how you’ve made it so far while being so _clueless_ , but if you value your lives, you’re going to listen to _me_ from now on. Understood?”

Before Fen could reply, Ryu made a cry of anguish.

“What’s going on?!” he said, staring wide-eyed at Zephia. “Where’d that Seviper go? Where did it even come from? How did you–”

“ _Shut! Up!”_ Zephia hissed at him. “ _I’m_ the Seviper, you floppy-eared cretin! I just saved both of your hides, after _you_ walked us straight into that danger! Looks really clever now, doesn’t it? We’ve fought two ‘mon so far today – _two_ – and what happens? We almost get completely knocked out, no doubt losing everything in that bag of yours, which would give us no idea of direction, and probably end all hopes of ever finding this Pokémon you want. Is that what you were going for, idiot? Huh?”

“Hey, we get it!” Fen cried, putting his hands protectively over Ryu. “The Pokémon here are really dangerous, stronger than any of us individually. We won’t be so reckless from now on. Right, Ryu?”

Ryu still looked confused. “Hold on… did you just do an illusion of a Seviper to scare that ‘mon away?”

“Obviously,” Zephia snapped. “Listen, if we want any hope of making it through, we need to avoid fights like those. So firstly, you two are going to be as quiet as possible, and actually pay attention to me when I sniff a ‘mon close-by. Avoiding them _may_ slow our route down,” she shot a look at Ryu, “but it’s necessary.”

“And we won’t get lost as long as we still have the compass,” Fen added, sitting up.

Zephia grunted her approval. “Now, I think we were attacked in the first place because the ‘mon saw that we’re hatches, and assumed that we’d be easy pickings for them...”

Fen got an uncomfortable reminder of what Faoz had said about some Pokémon hunting others in the southmost areas of Kyunn. “You… don’t mean that we’re prey to them? I thought only a few types of Pokémon were eaten… and not any of us…”

“Not _that_ kind of prey. More that they’ll see our bag and predict - correctly, obviously - that there’ll be food inside it. _He_ had the right idea, offering all our food. Would’ve maybe saved our directions,” she said, nodding to Ryu.

Fen’s chest loosened, but only slightly. It was clear that they’d walked into a perilous place. “So what? We need to scare them off, somehow?”

“Exactly that,” Zephia said, “which is why I’m going to keep my illusion up, given how well it worked against that last ‘mon.”

Even though Fen knew what was about to happen, seeing Zephia’s illusion process still defied belief. She closed her eyes and a grey haze shimmered over her body; Fen blinked a few times to try and see past it, but the next thing he knew Zephia had disappeared entirely and been replaced with the Seviper again. Ryu uttered a small yelp.

“This isn’t _perfect_ ,” the Seviper-Zephia said, “since I didn’t see much of how this thing moved, and its mouth only opened when it was growling at us, so I can’t mimic those things exactly. But I don’t think any ‘mon will notice.”

“Plus, no-one here knows a species like yours even exists,” Fen said.

“Mm,” Zephia grunted.

There was a pause. “I’m guessing we should stay very close to you, then,” Fen said. “Maybe just in front?”

“Yeah,” Zephia said bullishly. “Just remember that this is _only_ an illusion; if I either get attacked or attack something else it’ll disappear.”

 _Like I’d forget_ that _detail,_ Fen thought, remembering back to how she’d first confronted him while disguised as Savi.

“…And while I can’t keep this image up forever, I can definitely go until nightfall today,” she finished.

Fen nodded. There were a million questions he wanted to ask about her illusions, but knew that now wasn’t the time to satiate his curiosity with the Drapion snoozing so close. “Let’s do it then,” he said, turning to Ryu. “Are you alright to walk, buddy?”

Ryu groaned and hauled himself to his feet. “’Course I am...” He reached for the bag but Fen grabbed it and pulled it decisively around his own shoulders.

“I should take this for a while,” he said. “You’re already tired enough.” While he too felt exhausted, it was obvious that Ryu was in a worse state, still recovering from poisoning.

Ryu baulked at him. “I’m way stronger than you, ‘mon. I’ll be fine.”

“Ryu, you can barely walk,” Fen pointed out.

“I wear the bag all day, though,” Ryu said, a touch irritably. “It doesn’t weigh anything to me now.”

Reluctantly, Fen handed it back over. “I thought you’d appreciate the help, is all.”

“Well, I don’t need help carrying things, alright?”

Fen shook his head; now wasn’t the time to be petty. They got into formation in front of Zephia’s illusion. “By the way… who knew that these floppy things were my ears, huh?” Ryu muttered, pointing first to his aura-sensors then to the smaller, fixed ears on top of his head. “She could at least get her insults right. The number of ‘mon that get those two things mixed up, I swear…”

* * *

 

Fen concluded more and more as the day went on that, despite Zephia being unable to help his memories like he’d hoped, teaming up with her now was the best decision they could’ve made. With her Seviper illusion up and her alerting them whenever she caught a strong scent nearby, they didn’t run into any wilds nearly as formidable as their first two. The only Pokémon they encountered literally ran into their path; these were predominantly normal (or ‘Common’ as Pokémon seemed to call them) types, and they usually scattered at the sight of Zephia anyway.

It was difficult to grasp how deep into the forest they’d travelled or how far was left to Glyciak; the only indicator Fen could use was the gradually falling temperature. His exertions in their last fights had drained his fire supply again, but he decided to wrap the fur coat around him to stay warm instead of eating another of their two remaining leppa berries. The cold seemed to bother him more than it did for Ryu or Zephia.

As the sky began darkening and they stopped to rest, it was clear that there were no rocks around big enough for Ryu to punch a shelter into. Fortunately, Zephia offered a solution.

“I’ve been digging holes to sleep in every day,” she said, and patted the ground firmly with a paw. “Although this ground is pretty hard, and we need a much bigger dig with three of us, so you two’d better help me out.”

The idea of spending the night in a cramped, underground box didn’t fill Fen with excitement. He wasn’t sure how well he could dig either, but given his claws he figured it couldn’t be too difficult to work out.

“That works for shelter, but we still need to find food and water,” Ryu grumbled. He turned to them both. “You two are starving as well, right? If we go hungry we’re all just as likely to faint as if we get attacked again.”

Zephia opened her mouth to snap a response at him, but Fen quickly intervened. “ _Actually_ , I have an idea... to find water, at least. I can climb a tree and get a greater view of the surroundings, see if there’s a water source nearby. It’s something I did before when there was a lot of fog around.”

Zephia considered for a moment, then nodded her approval. “More likely to be food where there’s water, too.”

Fen wasn’t too sure what she meant, but he duly got to work on the nearest tree. The combination of a lack of branches and smooth bark made him rely more on his claws than usual for handholds, though he still reached the top with relative ease.

He looked through the gaps in the trees around him and immediately saw a number of bulky Pokémon prowling around the forest. Slightly terrified, he pulled himself closer to the tree trunk, even though there was little chance of any of the ‘mon happening to look up and see him. He soon spotted a grey dip in the ground that glinted slightly in the dim light, appearing to reveal what they were looking for. He also quickly tried looking for a sign of the end of the forest, as he had done inside Hidden Wood, but it was to no avail. _I shouldn’t be surprised though, this place is probably three times larger..._

After jumping down and giving them the mostly-good news, Zephia resumed her Seviper form as Fen led them to the site of water. They arrived one small safety detour later at a decently-sized pond, where a couple of small Pokémon were already taking furtive sips at.

“Good work on the directions,” Ryu said, giving Fen a nod. “But… unless we plan on eating tree bark and grass, there’s still no food here…”

Zephia eyed them both curiously, then her eyes seemed to flash in recognition. “Oh, I get it… you two don’t normally hunt your food.”

“Wh-what?!” Fen cried out. Her words immediately sent alarm bells ringing in his head. “We… we can’t do that! We might be hungry, but killing another Pokémon for food is… no, we can’t!”

Zephia now looked at him in bemusement. “Uh… what? I remember being told that humans eat Pokémon… but you can’t bear the idea of doing it? What kind of weird human are you?”

“W-well, I… I…” Fen was floundering. Zephia was right; now that he thought about it, the types of Pokémon he knew were eaten by humans - Commons, Bugs and fish-type Waters - were the same ones Faoz had said were hunted by Pokémon themselves. _So why does the thought of killing and eating another Pokémon trigger such a strong reaction in me? Maybe because I’m one of them now…? But even so…_

“I don’t know what it is!” he said finally. “I guess… these Pokémon are just like us, aren’t they? They’re living, breathing, fighting… it’s wrong for us to have to kill them just to give ourselves food.”

Zephia raised her eyebrows. “They’re not like us at all,” she said. “They’re wild Pokémon. They have no concept of language, their tiny brains can pretty much think of _nothing_ beyond staying alive and fighting whatever they have a chance of defeating… If they were to breed at all, their hatches would be immediately left to fend for themselves, growing up to be the exactly same as their parents – braindead, basically. Without intelligence. See the difference? _We_ are not wilds. We can think. We’re useful _._ ”

“But… but… it’s not their fault they’re wild!” Fen stuttered. “If they were looked after properly from birth, they could still be as intelligent as we are… right?” He turned to Ryu, hopeful that he’d back him up. But Ryu bore a similar, if slightly more concerned expression to Zephia’s.

“Fen, I don’t like the idea any more than you do… but if there’s nothing else edible here, we don’t have many other options,” Ryu said. He paused for a moment. “And we did have to eat meat a couple of times when there was a drought of fruit in our woodland. Sometimes this _is_ necessary.”

Fen looked at him disbelievingly. _This has to be the first thing he and Zephia have agreed on.._.

“Well… I’m not helping you hunt,” Fen said.

“I was going to do that anyway,” Zephia dismissed. “It shouldn’t take long. And if someone–”

“Fills the water?” Ryu interrupted. “Yeah, I’ll take care of that.” Without waiting for a response, he got onto all-fours and headed carefully towards the pond, leaving Fen and Zephia.

“Guess I’ll just wait here for you,” Fen said weakly.

Zephia gave him a disappointed shake of her head. “I’ll go once we’ve got water, since what I do might cause a bit of a stir.”

Then without warning, her appearance changed again, this time to a small Treecko. “Less intimidating. Easier to fool ‘mon,” she explained in response to Fen’s shocked expression.

Fen didn’t feel like telling her that his shock was more due to how she reminded him of the poor, injured Treecko in Cheri Forest that he and Ryu had rescued, which itself felt like so long ago. He tried not to correlate those memories with whatever Zephia was about to do next.

When an equally confused Ryu came back she moved off in his opposite direction. Fen watched her go about halfway to the pond and stop, keeping herself hidden under some tree roots. Though he hated what she was doing, he couldn’t deny that Treecko was a very clever choice of disguise given its body’s natural stealth. And although he felt obliged to watch given her warning about other ‘mon’s reactions, a much greater proportion of him yearned to look away.

“I didn’t know humans ate ‘mon,” Ryu said quietly next to him, almost making him jump.

“Huh? Oh, uh, I guess I just forgot about it.”

Ryu hummed. “It’s fine though. You can’t have been missing it too much, if you’d forgotten…”

“I guess not,” Fen smiled thinly. “I like the diet we have. I don’t know how much I enjoyed fruit and plant-based stuff before, but everything here is all so fresh and flavoursome… It does help that most of what we've been eating is picked ourselves on the same day, but still…”

“Nah, I get ya,” Ryu smirked. He scratched an ear. “So, uh… I noticed in those last fights you were using some new attacks.”

“Oh, transferring fire into my fist and stuff?” Fen said. Ryu nodded back. “It was mainly just a spur-of-the-moment thing… That idea hadn’t occurred to me before I used it on the Seviper, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to try often, given how energy sapping it was.”

Ryu’s eyes widened. “It was energy sapping?” he asked, a curious hint to the question.

“Well, it was then. Does that mean something bad?”

“No, no… I’ve just heard that if you’re–” Ryu suddenly broke off and leaned forward. “Sorry – look.”

Zephia’s Treecko head had pricked up as a Zigzagoon came into view, zigzagging slowly towards the pond on their right. Its minute size made it more like a ball of bristly fur with a tiny head and limbs poking out. The last thing Fen would’ve wanted was to cause harm to the innocent little creature.

Zephia crept forwards in line with the Zigzagoon until they were both at the water’s edge, a few feet apart. The Zigzagoon first turned its head right, then left in her direction. Fen expected Zephia to attack as soon as the two ‘mon’s eyes met, but when they did she instead moved herself closer to the pond and lowered her head to drink. After observing her for a few moments, the Zigzagoon did the same.

_Of course, she appears like just a normal Grass, and they wouldn’t eat any meat… the Zigzagoon’s completely unaware of what she is… it thinks it’s safe…_

Fen started feeling sick. He wanted to shout to the Zigzagoon. _Run away, before she kills you!_ _Don’t let her do this, please!_

While the Zigzagoon was still drinking, he saw the Treecko’s head covertly turn towards it. He saw the swirl of darkness that meant Zephia’s illusion was disappearing. And before he knew it, he was running towards them, almost choking on his words.

“Stop! _STOP!_ You’re-”

His words were tackled out of the air, as Ryu grabbed him with enough force to make him crumple to the ground. Without looking ahead, Fen closed his eyes. He heard a desperate, ear-piercing squeal from the pond, and a snap that extinguished it almost as suddenly as it began. Distant squeals and cries echoed around them moments later, then Ryu was pulling him up, dragging him forwards with an iron grip on his wrist. Fen stumbled in his direction, eyes open but trying not to look at the Zorua they were following. When he briefly glanced up he just saw something limp hanging from her mouth, and immediately wished he’d kept his head down...

“Fen, it’s okay. You can look up now.”

Ryu was holding his shoulders, a determined look in his eyes. The previous few minutes seemed to have blurred together in Fen’s mind.

“Zephia’s gone a little distance away to sort out the food,” Ryu said briefly, before Fen could ask. “Look… I’m really sorry about tackling you then, but it was for the best. I didn’t realise you’d react like that… I guess we should’ve taken you away beforehand.”

“I don’t – I don’t blame you for anything,” Fen managed to say, trying to stop himself shaking. “I d-didn’t know that would happen… all of a sudden I just got this awful feeling, and… I felt like I had to do something… it’s weird…”

He noticed Ryu looking pretty worried himself. _He probably doesn’t know how to react… neither would I if he’d just done what I did. What’s wrong with me?_

“It’s fine, ‘mon,” Ryu said eventually. “Do you wanna light a fire? That stuff normally helps calm you…”

He gestured to a small, already-built pile of wood next to them, and Fen nodded gratefully. He opened his mouth, then paused.

“Ryu, when you said that the only food here other than Pokémon was tree bark… did you mean that?”

Ryu looked at him pitifully. “Well… it’d be very difficult to get to the deeper, healthy layers of bark given we have nothing to carve with. And I don’t know what trees these ones are – they might not even be edible…”

 _And as well as that,_ Fen thought, _going off on my own just for some vegetarian food would be putting myself in unnecessary danger… plus the further south we go, the more likely it seems that we’ll_ have _to hunt for food. I can’t let this weird hang-up of mine ruin our whole journey._

_The worst thing is that, a part of me definitely does want this food, but another really doesn’t… so which one is right? Why is my mind so conflicted? Ugh..._

“Forget that idea,” he said to Ryu at last. “It would be selfish of me. I’ll eat what we have.”

Ryu nodded, but Fen could tell he was silently breathing a sigh of relief. “You… you wouldn’t know what the food is when you look at it, by the way. It just looks like–”

“I’ve seen meat before,” Fen said quickly, before he could elaborate. “I’ll be alright.” He finally lit their fire with the biggest blast of flames he could manage, and watching the exploding wood was at least a little satisfying, as well as the comforting warmth it gave.

When Zephia had finished stripping the Zigzagoon of meat she separated out the portions between them. While the other two were perfectly content to eat theirs raw ( _like any normal Pokémon would be,_ Fen thought despairingly), he held his share against the fire for a few minutes before considering it bearably-enough cooked. Despite not wanting to enjoy the food, it did help calm his jitteriness, and he managed to reach a state somewhere close to relaxation by the time it was finished.

* * *

 

Ryu had volunteered to go first in digging their shelter, hoping that the monotony of the exercise would distract his thoughts. It wasn’t working.

From an objective standpoint, he thought, today shouldn’t have been a bad day. They’d seen off two very dangerous ‘mon, travelled plenty of distance without any other big disturbances, and were now in good shape to continue the trek tomorrow.

The problem, which he couldn’t help _making into_ a problem, came when he looked at himself. The danger they’d been faced with had been entirely caused by his own rashness; it was Fen’s quick thinking with the trees that had helped them find water, and Zephia’s hunting that had provided food. Also, while Ryu wasn’t anywhere near as squeamish about hunting as Fen seemed to be, he had no experience of it and doubted that he would’ve had the stomach to act in the necessarily brutal way Zephia had.

 _Zephia..._ Ryu had trusted Fen’s instincts, contrary to his own, to let her join them. It was already clear that Fen had been right – without her, their journey would probably be in tatters already, and her illusions, sense of smell and general travelling nous had been massively helpful to them. Despite that, he couldn’t shake off the intense dislike he had of her, and nor did he really want to. He’d already hated her for what she’d done to him and Fen back at Cheri Forest – Fen seemed to forgive her for that, somehow – but how _good_ she had been today made his resentment grow even more.

 _Why does this stupid Dark have to be the most skilled adventurer I’ve ever seen, other than maybe Dad? I always thought, I was always_ told _that adventuring was about being kind with others, about working as a team… all she’s done is give us orders and make us follow them, but that’s actually worked!_

Just then, a gust of wind blew through their campsite, extinguishing their fire. Though Fen’s tail was right next to Ryu, his eyes couldn’t adjust to the fall in light immediately. As he blinked quickly, something was happening in the fog around them. It darkened significantly, was moving of its own accord, swirling around them, now it was glowing grey, and within it there were other shapes materialising, screaming, floating towards them–

“NO!” Ryu screamed involuntarily, for his realisation of what was happening was so sudden, so terrifying. _Please… not Ghosts… not again…_

He started scrambling backwards on his paws but felt the earth suddenly dip beneath his legs. Once he realised that he’d backed into his own digging, his limbs refused to move him out of the hole. He heard more screams of terror from behind him and saw the dark fog fast surrounding their campsite’s circle, more Ghosts appearing.

Either side of him Fen and Zephia were already on their feet, facing up to a Ghost with hollowed eye sockets and one with the head of a tree stump respectively. Zephia immediately looked unstoppable, showing no hesitation in tearing apart the apparitions with every swipe of her black-auraed claws. As he watched fearfully, Ryu saw an all-too-familiar floating head burst out of the fog right in front of him, the Ghost’s huge pink tongue dangling from its jaws, poised to attack–

He screamed again just as Zephia came out of nowhere to bite down on the Ghost. It dissipated after a few moments of them tussling.

Zephia turned to him now, not bothering to remove the aura on her claws. “What are you doing?!” she shouted furiously above the cacophony of voices. “Get up and fight!”

“I can’t!” Ryu cried back, shaking. “M-my attacks go s-straight through them…”

Zephia continued staring at him for a second, then Ryu saw another Ghost fly towards them and frantically ducked his head into his body. _This is it,_ he thought, curling into a ball. _I can’t do anything… I’ll have to hide here until the Ghosts disappear… like a coward..._

Something solid hit his legs. He looked towards it - a rock, about the size of his palm.

He paused. A Ghost couldn’t have thrown this… and Zephia was the closest ‘mon to him, so it had to have been her. But… a rock? Was she just angry with him? That _was_ understandable...

Zephia was busy fighting off another tree-stump-like creature. When it retreated, she briefly met Ryu’s eyes and awkwardly made a forward motion with one of her paws, then pointed to the rock.

 _She… wants to me to throw it? At a Ghost?_ Ryu snatched up the rock in his fist. A spherical Ghost with a pointed horn in his head was flying towards him now, eyes glowing in some attack. Ryu managed to look at it just long enough to aim his throw and hurl the rock away from him, at which point his head pounded from whatever Psychic attack the Ghost had used. He immediately curled up again, but poked his head out after hearing the Ghost make a cry of complaint. It was tottering in the air, a deep, rock-shaped puncture in the middle of its head.

His attack had worked.

That realisation created a vast mix of emotions. There was relief, even euphoria, at the fact that something he’d believed for so long might be false – that he, as only a Riolu, _was_ able to fight Ghosts after all. But if anything, it made him even more anxious than before, because he knew that his feelings about Ghosts went beyond mere fighting advantage and into genuine, petrifying fear. Previously he could use his fighting disadvantage as justification for the fear, but without that… there was nothing, no excuse. He had to fight the Ghosts now... or else he really was a coward.

He carefully climbed out of the hole and gathered up as many nearby fist-sized rocks that he could carry. Then getting an idea, he took one rock in his palm and drew energy into the fist as if about to use a force palm. He heard the spherical Ghost shriek at him again and instinctively twisted away, though he managed to stop himself curling up entirely.

Deep breaths. _I shouldn’t be afraid… these Ghosts are weak, and now I have the abilities to face up to them... c’mon, we can overcome this..._

Drawing back to his full height, he quickly powered up his fist again, waiting until he couldn’t bear the Ghost to come any nearer to him, then threw the rock. It flew perfectly into the Ghost, making a cracking sound on collision before the creature let loose a final shriek and turned to mist.

The rock fell to the ground, and before Ryu could think another Ghost flew out at him. Thinking again about the rock in his paw and not what was in front of him, he took aim, threw… and after another two hits, the Ghost had vanished.

Nothing else came in front of him, so Ryu took a hesitant look around and saw Fen struggling to fight off two of the grey, hollowed-eyes Ghosts. He was trying to spray his embers into the air to hit both enemies, but the effect didn’t cause much damage to either, and they could respond by firing dark beams from their eyes, which Ryu could see was fast draining the Chimchar’s energy.

 _I don’t trust my aim enough to throw from anything other than close-range,_ Ryu thought, _so hit one of those Ghosts I’d have to be standing in roughly Fen’s position. I definitely can’t risk hitting him accidently... could I use him as a decoy?_

Ryu put a rock in both hands, ran straight towards Fen, then headbutted him forcefully out of the way to stand alone in front of the two Ghosts. They seemed confused at their sudden change of target, which was just enough time Ryu needed to charge up both his hands and hurl the rocks at his opponents. Both hit their mark, but only the left Ghost remained floating; Ryu dove forwards to catch the rock falling from its mistified partner, before jumping high in the air to pelt the left Ghost with his weapon at point-blank range. It too evaporated.

Ahead of him, Fen shook his head wearily. Seeing Ryu standing victorious where the Ghosts had been, his face was first bewildered, then turned to joy. Though a part of Ryu wanted to return the smile, he couldn’t find any enjoyment from this yet. He continued to focus as much as he could on his rocks, about what was around him - essentially, anything that prevented his fear of Ghosts from spiking up again.

The sound of Zephia’s enraged cry made him wheel his head around. The dark fog, and with it the Ghosts themselves, had almost vanished except for the one that she was now facing down. It was dark-purple coloured, standing far higher than her on two legs, and though its wide mouth grinned like other every Ghost Ryu had come across, it looked more of an angry grimace than an expression of mischief. Zephia’s low panting suggested they had already been battling, but neither side were willing to surrender.

Ryu continued fighting his instinct to flee as he and Fen came to Zephia’s side. With a rock in hand already he prepared to throw, but the Ghost foresaw the attack unthinkably quickly and grew a shadowy fist of its own, on the end of a limb. As the Ghost’s glare turned on him, Ryu was shocked for a moment, but regained his poise and met its eyes determinedly. He refused to back away now, even if it meant taking a hit… _I’m not scared of your kind anymore… you can look at me all you want, it won’t affect me!_

Then the Ghost lunged at him, and in willing himself not to move Ryu’s body automatically tensed. There was a dull thud as the Ghost hit his ribs. He felt his body weaken, and weaken more until he feared he would faint under the pain. But his body remained completely unmoved. He saw his fur glowing white, and realised:

_I was so focused on not moving out of the way, that my body prepared to use a counter… and since that punch was physical… yes! Take THIS, Ghost!_

He had just enough strength left in him to expel the Ghost’s energy back onto itself. The impact made Ryu fly a few feet backwards, and when he lifted his head again he saw the Ghost’s image fading, its mouth now twisted into a furious snarl. The Ghost screamed and what was left of its body split into tiny screaming fragments, which flew straight through the three of them, into the darkness beyond… and went silent. They were gone. The Ghosts were gone.

Ryu gave an involuntary shiver. Whatever that Ghost had just done made him feel like he’d been momentarily dipped in ice. Then slowly, he began to process what they’d accomplished. Knowing that he’d faced up, and helped defeat, his biggest fear… it was like lifting a giant Snorlax off his shoulders.

“We did it! We actually did it!” he cried jubilantly. “We defeated all of those bastards! Oh, Fen–” he noticed the Chimchar shivering himself close by, “sorry I had push you outta the way there! I didn’t wanna hit you with the rocks, y’know...”

“Hey, I love a bit of strategy,” Fen laughed. He looked just as happy. “But you were insane just then! That throwing was… I’d never thought about that before! How’d you figure out that it would work?”

“Heh... wasn’t bad, was it?” Ryu said, miming his actions again. “But the idea wasn’t thanks to me,” he added modestly. “It was Zephia who showed me–”

He turned to her, but the Zorua wasn’t close by. Ryu saw her a few metres away, inspecting the hole he’d been digging before the Ghosts’ appearance. It was like she’d never had to move.

“Uh, Zephia?” he said.

She lifted her head and grunted a ‘ _what’?_

“I… need to thank you, seriously. I’d never have considered throwing rocks at those ‘mon. You saved me.”

She nodded blankly. “I told you because I thought it would work, is all.”

“Right, well…” Ryu tried to keep a straight face, but it was impossible not to smile. “I don’t need to explain how much grief Ghosts have given me; you saw it yourself back there… but as long as we keep a couple rocks in our bag, I doubt they’ll be causing us any trouble from now on. I owe you big time for that.”

Zephia just shrugged in response, and went back to checking their dig.

“C’mon, aren’t you happy at all?” Ryu asked hopefully. “What we just did was amazing! And Ghosts, I’ve been scared of them more than anything… I feel like I can manage them now.”

She gave a long sigh and turned back to him. “Look, it’s good that you could get over your fear, since fear is one of the main ways Ghosts hurt you in the first place, and as a team we’ll now be better equipped to deal with them. But it doesn’t make me _happy_ , because fighting off a few Ghosts means nothing in relation to the greater goals we have. They never scared _me_ , anyway.”

Ryu felt deflated for a moment, but his delight at overcoming the Ghosts quickly numbed the negativity. He wondered if this euphoria was what evolution felt like. _I mean, all I figured out how to do was throw rocks at things I couldn’t punch normally… changing your entire body would probably be a whole different experience to that. But it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy this one!_

“Well, thanks for showing me the way,” he said to Zephia. “I… can admit that I’ve been a bit of an ass towards you today, not wanting to agree with you, but I’ll give you more respect from now on, alright?”

For a moment, a slight smirk appeared on Zephia’s face. Then, as if catching herself, she turned her face away to look at their hole again. “If that’s true, you won’t argue with me when I tell you to seriously work on your digging,” she said.

She stood in the hole – it covered her legs and most of her tail, but nothing further – and gestured around the shallow pit. “I can do this in five minutes, so it’ll be easier if I just take care of the rest of the dig tonight. _But,_ ” she added, “I don’t care if you haven’t dug much before, we all have similar paws – _this_ is a terrible effort. Do better.”

Digging, it seemed, would be Ryu’s next challenge to overcome. _But I’d take that over Ghosts any day,_ he thought contentedly.


	15. Ambush

Fen and Ryu spent the following day sticking to Zephia’s illusion, avoiding any contact they could with wilds, and they were virtually untroubled as a result. Their greater concern, which emerged as the day went on and they moved further south, was the continually falling temperature. Despite his fire attacks being seldom used, Fen felt himself start to shiver with cold. He resolved to walk with the fur coat wrapped tightly around him from then on, its itchiness only a minor trade-off in comparison.

“Are neither of you two getting cold?” he asked as they stopped for rest.           

“Well, you’d feel it more than either of us, being a Fire,” Zephia said dismissively.

“I can tell it’s cold,” Ryu said, ignoring her, “but it’s not that noticeable… I’m more worried about what it’ll mean for us finding food and things. There can’t be much living ahead of here, can there?”

“Nothing except the whole population of Darks, apparently,” Fen quipped, bringing a chuckle from Ryu. Reminded of something he wanted to ask, he turned to Zephia, but her unusually confused expression threw him off.

“Darkrai’s Knot is a home for Darks?” she asked.

“Oh… yeah,” Fen said. “I guess we never told you that. That’s why we’re looking for an Absol there.”

“Hmm,” Zephia grunted, narrowing her eyes. “Given the name, I probably should’ve guessed…”

“Yeah… sorry about that,” Fen said awkwardly, wanting to close the subject. “Zephia, we’ve been wondering. If Darkrai’s Knot _is_ inside this huge, icy mountain, and since you’re a Dark yourself – why do you think they’d choose such a desolate place to live? There’s plenty of areas on Kyunn, even from the little I’ve seen, that would be just be far better as a habitat.”

Zephia frowned. “I take it that better suited areas are more populated than this ‘Knot’?”

Fen and Ryu exchanged an identical look of: _how should we know?_ “They probably would be, yeah,” Ryu said.

“Well, that’s one reason,” Zephia said. “My kind don’t like much company. So, it would be preferable to live somewhere like this place we’re going, that’s more… uh…”

“…Off the beaten track?” Fen offered.

Zephia shrugged. “Whatever that means, sure.”

Fen nodded. _That makes sense – I can’t recall seeing any Dark ‘mon around Sanguin Town, nor the other civilian towns we visited. The only ones I remember at all were the Mightyena that checked our bags when we arrived, and they certainly weren’t friendly…_

“And another thing,” Zephia went on. “If this Knot is a tough place to survive, living there would be a way of showing off how strong you are.”

“But… okay, I get that proving your strength is important, but surely a better way of doing that is by battling each other?” Fen questioned. “Why do they have to make things so difficult for themselves?”

“I already told you; we don’t like company,” Zephia snapped, as if that conclusion was obvious. “Is any of this important right now?”

Fen sighed. “Not really… let’s get going then…”

_Zephia sure fits the stereotypical Dark down to a tee…_

The falling temperature had knock-on effects to the rest of their travelling. It took Zephia over an hour of waiting to finally catch something for them to eat; for Fen’s sake, they made base a couple of hundred yards away from her hunting ground. Digging wasn’t as easy either, taking a combination of Fen roasting the ground with fire and Ryu punching downwards for it to be soft enough for Zephia to get her claws into.

By their third morning, any remaining volcanic ash had all but faded, and the sky above was exposed for the first time in days. Still headed south, the forest began an increasingly sharply incline, the trees became thinner and sparser, until one hill climb in the early afternoon took them to the top of an uncovered cliff. Ahead of them, finally, was Glyciak Mountain.

When the three of them emerged, there was a collective intake of breath at the sight of it. But this gasp wasn’t in amazement or admiration, like when Fen had witnessed Ractyl’s Belt or the view from Mt. Horizon for the first time. Glyciak looked terrifying.

They seemed to be at or near its peak, judging by how flat the snow-covered ground ahead was. But this only made it look more intimidating; it was like an ocean of white, stretching far beyond even Fen’s honed eyesight. Jagged, often huge pillars of rock jutted out in places, and he watched as gales of wind blew snow powder off their surfaces. He had never wished for human clothes so dearly.

They’d come out at a stretch of rock that was disconnected from Glyciak by a foot. Fen carefully peered down through the gap between them, but up in the clouds it was impossible to tell how high an altitude they were at. Clearly, a very long climb would be required if they’d started at the bottom.

As Ryu looked down alongside him, they glanced uncertainty at each other. “Faoz… didn’t give us much of an idea where exactly Darkrai’s Knot was, did she?” Ryu said.

 _That was the one specific she couldn’t help us with,_ Fen thought regretfully _._ “No. She said she’d never been to Glyciak.”

“Don’t blame her,” Ryu muttered, shaking his head.

“What?” Zephia quickly snapped at them. “Don’t tell me that neither of you know where we’re going from here?”

“We know Darkrai’s Knot is on this mountain,” Fen said patiently. “We just don’t know _where_ exactly, because… well, I don’t think anyone sane comes to visit it.”

“What are we going to do, then?” Zephia demanded.

“I don’t – look, just have some bloody patience, alright?” Fen hit back. “We can’t know everything!”

He knew the cold was making him more spiky, but couldn’t be bothered to restrain it. Meanwhile, Zephia huffed and turned her muzzle away. “You should be the _least_ patient, seeing how well you’re doing with this temperature…”

“Hey, knock that off!” Ryu growled, stepping so he and Fen were both facing her. “Look, why don’t we... uh… why don’t… we...”

Fen looked hopefully at him for a few tense seconds.

“Why don’t we just try asking the ‘mon here where it is?” Ryu said eventually. “Surely that’ll be faster than looking for it on our own.”

“If the ‘mon here are as braindead as those in the forest, asking won’t get us anywhere,” Zephia countered.

“But they can’t _all_ be wilds,” Fen said. “We’ve already established that the Pokémon living in Darkrai’s Knot won’t be.”

Zephia chewed her lip, evidently annoyed. “That’s true. I suppose we can start off with this as a plan... But I still don’t think it’ll work.”

“For you, that sounds like a glowing endorsement,” Ryu said, earning another glare in response. He hopped over the small divide between them and Glyciak, then looked back at them. “And we won’t freeze as fast if we’re on the move, eh Fen?”

Fen felt obliged to give him a half-hearted chuckle, but was consumed with too much worry to laugh any more about their predicament. 

* * *

After a few hours, their search had been utterly fruitless. Despite actively looking for Pokémon, they only ran into three – an ice-shelled variety of Sandshrew and two small, brown shaggy-haired creatures that Fen couldn’t remember the name of. Those ‘mon were unquestionably wild; when asked if they knew where Darkrai’s Knot was, they simply gave a snarl in response before attacking whoever was closest. One positive Fen discovered was that both his flames and Ryu’s punches were very effective in fighting the ‘mon, and they didn’t have a problem in defeating them. But with that in mind, he was very conscious not to overuse his fire store and make himself even colder.

With the ground predominantly flat they were more exposed than ever to the arctic winds. The snow was often as high as Fen’s waist, and blizzards seemed to arrive every hour. They could do nothing in defence of these but shelter behind a nearby rock or raised ground, which hardly helped. After Fen nearly lost sight of them following one blizzard, Ryu refused to go further than a paw’s reach of him; and while Fen was hugely grateful for the help, he hated feeling like a hindrance to them. When he wasn’t concentrating solely on keeping pace, he was feverishly, almost unconsciously checking that his tail flame – which had shrunk to the point of barely any warmth – hadn’t been extinguished entirely.

Now, in front of him, Zephia suddenly stopped and lifted her muzzle to the air, which he was used to seeing. _Something must be close by._

With minimal communication, they simultaneously looked around for any glimpses of ‘mon, and Fen soon heard Ryu call, “I can see it!”

A dark, quadrupled figure was quickly moving at a two o’clock to their left. The three of them ran so their paths could cross with it; Ryu and Zephia succeeded but Fen was left panting a few metres behind. The creature, black-furred with a few yellow markings, only skidded to a stop when both ‘mon shouted for it to, and even then it wore a very irritated expression.

“Yes? What do you want?” Fen heard the Umbreon say in a similarly annoyed tone. “This better be good for the middle of the day...”

Zephia made a small gasp at this that Fen couldn’t discern reason for, other than the fact that this finally wasn’t a wild.

“We’re looking for Darkrai’s Knot,” Ryu said. “Except we don’t know where to find it on this mountain. Could you possibly… direct us there…please?”

He half trailed off, as the Umbreon’s contemptuous look already gave away her answer. “Our home is not open to those who merely ask,” she sneered. “Especially not those of _your_ kind.” Fen found her piercing red eyes boring into him and Ryu.

“W-What?” Ryu stuttered. Fen noticed the yellow bands on the Umbreon’s fur starting to glow ominously. “What’s wrong with us? I didn’t–”

Before he could finish, the yellow glow suddenly flared to a dazzling level; then Ryu was thrown backwards with a started yelp, quickly muffled by the snow. The Umbreon turned to Fen, and before he could even consider what to do he felt a sensation like his head being bashed against a brick wall. The shock of the pain completely disoriented him, and the biggest factor in returning him to his senses was the searing coldness of snow. He found himself, somehow, face down in it just like Ryu was.

Lifting his head up, he saw the Umbreon and Zephia standing off, both snarling at each other. The Umbreon was keeping her distance; Fen guessed that she thought Zephia to be a more formidable foe.

“I don’t know who you are, but don’t even think about following me,” the Umbreon told her. “Otherwise, your friends’ heads might not recover next time.”

She started moving away, accelerating quickly. The restlessness in Zephia’s pose suggested to Fen that she was in two minds over what to do, but a pitiful glance over at him and Ryu made her move towards them instead.

Fen hauled himself up from the snow and dried himself as much as possible. Next to him, Ryu was sitting down, holding his head low between his paws and giving occasional moans of pain.

Fen managed to help him to his feet, but the Riolu’s head remained held. “Psychics are the _worst_ ,” Ryu mumbled to him. “I’d be much happier if I ended up in the snow by a strong punch or something, not… that weird stuff. Ughhhh, my head… _whyyyy_...”

Zephia didn’t give him any sympathy, but looked purposeful. “I worked out some things from that Dark,” she told them. “Namely that this plan of ours is a complete waste of time.”

 _Blunt, but probably fair_ _based on that,_ Fen thought. “If ‘mon like her are the only ones who’ll speak to us, it doesn’t look like we’ll learn a lot,” he admitted. “But what about the things she said? That she wouldn’t tell ‘our kind’ directions? What group could Ryu and I possibly fit into?”

“Non-Darks, obviously,” Zephia said at once.

“Wh… but how could she tell that you _were_ a Dark?!”

“You just can,” Zephia replied impatiently. “That’s not important… well it is a little, but if they wouldn’t tell _me_ anyway, it doesn’t matter. Something that ‘mon reminded me of, that I was _stupid_ for forgetting, is that Darks are mostly nocturnal. That’s surely why we’ve run into so few of them.”

“So… we should look for them at night instead?” Ryu asked, now rubbing his head gingerly.

“Exactly. We should search through the night. We can always sleep during tomorrow daytime if needed.”

“But… but…” _it’s going to be even colder at night,_ Fen thought miserably. He realised quickly that this wouldn’t qualify as an acceptable excuse in Zephia’s eyes, so clamped his mouth shut and avoided her gaze.

“Even so,” Ryu said, “you want us to keep the same strategy of asking for directions as before?”

“No!” Zephia snapped. “ _You_ just proved that it won’t work. I thought we could try following a Dark instead, given I’d be able to disguise myself, but it’s highly probable that they’ll notice one of you two following at some point.”

 _That’s true too,_ Fen thought. _This snow is noisy and we might have to sprint to keep up, if they all move as fast as the Umbreon…_

“So,” Zephia continued. “Here’s what we do. Once we find a Dark, we’ll injure it badly enough to convince it to do what we say. Then it should take us to Darkrai’s Knot, no problem.”

There was a considerable silence. Fen hadn’t known what to expect, but it wasn’t this.

“You’re… going to attack innocent Pokémon and get them to follow our orders through brute force alone,” he rephrased slowly.

“That’s the best plan I can think of,” Zephia said. “If you have a better one, then go ahead.”

Fen couldn’t stop his voice shaking. “Zephia, this is… so malicious… we’re practically no better than criminals! Forcing orders on others through pain and threats… sentient Pokémon, no less… isn’t that what happened to you, where you were captured–?”

As soon as he said the words a pair of claws shoved him down into the snow. Gasping in shock, he found the not-unfamiliar sight of Zephia staring down at him, one paw pressing on his chest. She was practically foaming with rage.

She only held him for a second before Ryu tackled her away. She quickly lashed out at him with her claws, but they missed. Ryu stood his ground next to Fen, and Zephia hissed at him a little before contracting her claws instead.

She turned angrily to Fen. “Don’t ever, _ever_ compare me to them again,” she seethed.

Fen spat snow from his mouth. With Ryu by his side, he felt brave enough to demand, “Why shouldn’t I? What you’re saying isn’t any different.”

“It _is_ different! _”_ she said, voice shaking slightly. “This is one Pokémon, and it’ll hardly suffer if it listens to us. We’re not holding it hostage for the rest of its life!”

She paused. When she continued, her aggression had vanished. “Look, I don’t get any pleasure out of this. We simply don’t have a choice. Like I said: if either of you want to offer a better plan instead, my ears are all up.”

Fen glanced at Ryu, who looked as uncomfortable as he was.

“Ryu?”

“I hate it, but I can’t think of another way,” Ryu said briefly.

Fen nodded; that was how he felt too. As bad as this was, as much as he hated it, he had to place the value of their cause above the suffering of one innocent Pokémon.

“You win, Zephia,” he said. “We’ll follow your plan.”

Zephia only gave a little nod, as if his agreement was what she’d been expecting from the start. “Let’s keep walking then. In fact…” she angled her muzzle upwards to the misty air. “I can smell something else around here… I’m not sure…”

She led them forwards with careful steps. “There is something,” she muttered after a minute, “but its scent is… really strong, I think.”

Fen cast a concerned look to Ryu at this. _Just yesterday, a strong scent would be a sign that we run straight away from here,_ he thought. _Staying hidden isn’t an option any more._

When Zephia stopped again they were facing a steep bank of rock. It had a giant, bird-shaped dent in the centre, and a crater of snow below it. The shadows created by the rocks and the depth of the crater made it difficult to make out what was inside, but Fen could just about see a thick blue-and-red object sticking out. Then they drew closer and he realised it was a tail, attached to what must be a humongous body. The tail alone was five times his size.

“Mew… this looks like a Dragon…” Ryu whispered, a hint of fear in his voice. “Is it dead? How’d it even get here…?”

Before anyone could reply, Fen heard a movement of snow and an orange head rose up from the crater, behind the fallen ‘mon’s tail.

The moment the ‘mon scurried out of the hole, Zephia sprinted towards it and lunged with her claws. The orange ‘mon quickly spun away though, dropping to all fours before stunning Zephia with a well-aimed blast of water at her face. With the window of time that gave her, she glanced at Fen and Ryu behind the Zorua, looking ready to blast them too, but then…

She froze. So did Fen. Despite how matted and discoloured the orange ‘mon’s fur was, he instantly recognised the fins on her arms, the odd yellow sac around her shoulders, the hardy look she always carried. _Faoz…?_

Faoz was so stunned that that she made no effort to evade Zephia’s brutal slash at her ribs a moment later, which knocked her helplessly to the ground.

“Zephia, no!” Fen screamed simultaneously with Ryu, the attack bringing him out of shock. “Don’t attack! She’s a friend!”

But neither ‘mon seemed to have heard. Faoz had recovered before Zephia could get any nearer, her two tails beginning to spin rapidly. She glided snowboard-like around the snow for a moment before water rushed to the tails. She swung them into Zephia, sending the Zorua to the floor this time. In a moment of silent cooperation, Fen and Ryu ran in front of Zephia to stop her retaliating, then yelled the same orders at her again. Only when faced with this confusing scenario did she pause for thought.

“She’s…a friend?” Zephia repeated sceptically.

“Yes! That means you don’t try and kill her, you idiot!” Ryu said furiously.

Irritated, Zephia cocked her head to one side. “You two have never mentioned anyone being here with you… _Who_ is she, anyway? Why is she here?”

Fen had no answer to that, and instead looked uncertainly to Faoz. The Floatzel was breathing heavily, an unusually wild look in her eyes.. She met his gaze but didn’t smile.

“You… you made it,” she said between breaths. “I didn’t expect… I thought you wouldn’t stand a chance...”

“Faoz, what’s going on?” Fen asked, a slightly desperate tone to the question. “How did you… I don’t know... travel so fast?”

“Him,” Faoz breathed. She jerked her head into the crater, and the Pokémon inside. “It’s thanks to Shaice that I got here so quickly… but we arrived during a blizzard, he lost control and crashed...”

Ryu gave a yelp at this. “Is he alright?!” he asked, sounding as if his life depended on it.

“Well, Salamence and snow don’t mix well,” Faoz said, speaking clearer now. “Even with healing berries he’s taking a while to recover. He will do though, I’m sure of it.”

Where Faoz had found a willing Salamence to ride was still anyone’s guess, but it wasn’t top of Fen’s priorities to find that out right now, nor did he have the energy to.

“So… why are you here, Faoz?” he asked.

“Because _you_ were right!” Faoz replied, exasperated. “Maybe… maybe you’ve not had it so bad… but the weather has deteriorated so much since you left town… I don’t know how you realised that something was wrong with it, but that’s not important now. The worse it became, the more I started worrying for you, because I doubted you’d be willing to turn back even in the worst of conditions… but I knew you had the right idea, which is why I decided to come here myself, to try and speak to an Absol... but that hasn’t exactly worked out...”

She gave another glance to the Salamence, then back at them. “Do you know if you’re close to Darkrai’s Knot?” she suddenly asked, with an intensity that made Fen jump.

“Uh... not yet?” he said. “We have a plan though…”

He looked expectantly at Zephia, who huffed at him before reluctantly explaining her idea to Faoz. Faoz showed no shock; she only looked at Zephia with an increasing intrigue.

“Well, that explains the misunderstanding,” she said wearily, once Zephia had finished, but then added. “Who are you? I’ve never seen a species like yours before.”

“Why does it matter what my species is?” Zephia growled back. She was leaning forwards, as if about to attack Faoz again.

Faoz’s tails swished a little as she said this, but they quickly calmed down. “It doesn’t… I’m just wondering how you ended up with these two,” she said. “But if you don’t want to tell me, then–”

“It’s none of your business,” Zephia said stubbornly.

“Fine,” Faoz said, waving an arm dismissively. She addressed the three of them. “You should continue with your plan. Don’t worry about me; I can’t leave Shaice on his own out here, not with so many wilds around… I think his scent is attracting them.”

“But… can’t we help him at all?” Ryu asked.

“No!” Faoz said firmly, though her voice still shook a little. “Get away from here. It’s not safe.”

“B-but?!” Ryu seemed at a loss. “Aren’t you in more danger than us?”

“I’ll be fine!” Faoz snapped. “I brought food with me. Water is easy enough; I can just melt the snow with boiling water. There’s no shelter for you here. _You_ -” she glared at Fen, “are going to freeze if you just stand around. In fact, don’t waste your time hunting. Here.” She pulled out a slightly frosted apple from her bag and chuckled it at Ryu, who briefly juggled it in his surprise. “Now get moving!”

Fen looked at Ryu again, who seemed to ask, like him, _‘what else can we do?’_ He shuffled his feet restlessly. Faoz’s shaky state worried him, but she clearly wasn’t taking anything else for an answer. He’d followed all the advice she’d given them so far, and it had proved so useful… he felt obligated to trust her again now.

“Faoz,” he began, “in case we don’t see you again–”

“But you will,” Faoz dismissed. “Don’t be so defeatist. Now get away from here, alright?”

Fen sighed, and reluctantly agreed. Zephia led them away from Faoz into the snow beyond.

“A _Salamence,_ though, they’re so rare!” Ryu said once they were out of earshot. “Y’know, some days when I got tired out I would just watch the sky, hoping to see one overhead… but the first time I see one up close, it’s just… unmoving… huh. I sure hope Faoz knows what she’s doing with him…”

“I think she does, considering she was riding one in the first place,” Fen said. “I’m glad she agrees with us now, too. Though I hadn’t considered how the natural disasters would be affecting habitats asides from ours.”

“Yeah… you’re right,” Ryu murmured, looking at the ground. Fen got an uncomfortable feeling that he’d just reminded Ryu of his family, who were now many days of travel away. “Well, no point wondering about that…”

* * *

 By the time they finally found another Dark, the sun had long since passed.

Fen didn’t know that it was possible to feel so cold. Every gust of wind was like a sheet of ice, and he weakly pleaded a couple of times for them to stop whenever a shelter-sized rock was passed, which Zephia, of course, refused with a huff. Though even she and Ryu had started shivering by this time.

The only positives Fen could see were that he was too terrified of freezing to feel tired, and that their stomachs must’ve been too cold to realise that a third of an apple wasn’t an adequate meal for an all-night struggle across endless tundra.

The Sneasel they fought was persistent. It landed attacks on all of them and moved as fast as any ‘mon Fen had come across, but its size and their numerical advantage meant their victory was only a question of time.

When Ryu correctly predicted it would slash at him, he tensed himself and countered the attack. While it was stunned, Fen slashed at it with his own claws, not making much contact due to how camouflaged the Sneasel was in the dark. But Zephia followed up by tackling it to the ground where she was able to hold it still.

Fen and Ryu bent down to get a closer look at it; the Sneasel’s pointed red eyes looked furious. “ _Whooooo_ are you?” he asked. His voice was as frosty as the ice it had been breathing in attack.

“Who we are doesn’t matter,” Zephia said. “We need to find Darkrai’s Knot, and you’re going to help us, Dark.”

At this, an odd expression came over the Sneasel; his anger certainly receded, though Fen couldn’t understand why. “And… _whyyyy_ do you want to go there?” he asked quietly.

“We have to speak to an Absol!” Ryu said immediately.

Somehow, a grin came over the Sneasel’s face at this, and he made a weird cackling that seemed to be its version of laughter. “Absol… why, I’m not sure she’s even _aliiiive_ ,” he hissed. “You’re wasting your time.”

“Don’t bullshit me, you feather-faced skeleton!” Zephia snapped. “Unless you’d like me to hurt you some more, you’re going to show us where the Absol is.”

The Sneasel looked coolly at her. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he murmured. “But first, there’s one thing I should tell you… here…”

He motioned for Zephia to lean her head closer, as if to whisper something in her ear. Zephia moved slightly, then hesitated. In that moment the Sneasel saw its chance, opening his mouth and firing freezing air at her. Momentarily stunned, the Sneasel wriggled his body out of her grip too quickly for Fen and Ryu to grab another hold, and started scrambling away.

Fen knew there wasn’t a hope of catching the Sneasel in the snow. He felt despair rise up inside him. This had been their best chance at finding an Absol, but being so weak already, they might not even get another one… could this be it…?

Something white suddenly hurtled through the air, too fast for him to see, and crunched into the back of the Sneasel’s head. The ‘mon stopped running at once, swayed slightly, then crumpled head first into the snow.

Fen heard Ryu yelp beside him. “I didn’t mean to hit him so hard! I mean, I did want to stop him running, but… Mew, is he alright?”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Zephia muttered, stomping over to the Sneasel. “A lump of snow isn’t gonna kill anyone.”

Fen looked to Ryu. “You threw a snowball at him?”

“Snowball? Is that what you call ‘em?” Ryu asked, tail between his legs.

“Yeah. Humans throw them for fun, when there’s snow on the ground. Though they generally can’t throw as hard as you...”

“Well, it was all I could think of,” Ryu sighed.

“I don’t know why it bothers you,” Zephia said, bending over the Sneasel and turning him over. Fen noticed, with some relief, that his chest was slowly rising and falling. There was a pinkish lump forming where the snowball had hit its head. “In fact, your ‘snowball’ was very effective. We’ve got him. If he’s got any sense at all, he’ll do what we say when he wakes up.”

Ryu said nothing, seemingly too concerned with his own savagery to acknowledge a rare Zephia compliment.

“What if he still refuses?” Fen asked.

“He won’t,” Zephia said, looking intensely at Fen. “I know my own type, Fen. We’re not stupid; in fact, I probably would’ve attempted exactly what he just did. But he’s undoubtedly beaten now.”

Zephia turned out to be right. When the Sneasel came around a few minutes later, the sly, careless look he had been carrying was gone.

“I’ll do whatever you say,” he said quietly, failing to disguise the fear in his voice. His body seemed to have shrunk several inches.

“Good,” Zephia replied. “You’re leading us to Darkrai’s Knot.”

The Sneasel tried unsuccessfully to get to his feet. Fen offered him a hand up after a few seconds, but the Sneasel gave him a look of such disgust that he couldn’t withdraw it fast enough. When the Sneasel was finally moving, he trudged through the snow with such feebleness that not even Zephia seemed to have the heart to tell him to speed up.

As the adrenaline from their fight wore off, the cold hit Fen once more. He had to tell himself over and over not to succumb to it. The trance-like state that put him in was so strong that when the Sneasel stopped ahead of him, he walked straight into Zephia’s back. He then realised with alarm that the sun was starting to rise again. _We’ve been awake almost 24 hours…_

Ignoring Zephia’s growls of annoyance, Fen poked his head around her to look at their surroundings. What looked like a small opening in a rock stood ahead. He was confused, until he realised on tiptoes that it also sunk right into the ground, creating a hole big enough for all four of them to fit through. The space around the cave’s entrance had a plethora of footprint shapes marked, which did a decent but not perfect job of clearing the snow, given that a new layer of it seemed to fall every hour. While the cave wasn’t particularly imposing, he supposed the location itself provided more than enough of that.

“This is it,” the Sneasel said simply.

“ _This_ isn’t it, though,” Zephia rebutted. “We’re here for an Absol, remember?”

“Oh, right...” The Sneasel seemed abnormally relaxed for his situation, drawling his words. “Yeah, an Absol lives here… thing _isssss_ , I’m not sure I want to disturb her, given how she’s been recently… very aggressive...”

“But _we do_!” Fen said impatiently, sudden anger at the Sneasel banishing his fatigue. “You have no idea how important this is!”

“Sure…” the Sneasel said coolly. “There’s something else I think you should know… The ‘mon here don’t like seeing new faces around, especially ones they might not think _belong_ here…” He looked gleefully at Fen and Ryu at this, then turned to Zephia. “I don’t know what _you_ are, mind you, but your friends… I don’t think they’ll be welcome at all.”

Fen was now aware of the Sneasel taking small, almost unnoticeable steps towards the cave. But the ‘mon kept talking before he could act.

“One more thing.” The smugness on the Ice ‘mon’s face was stronger than ever. “You were able to bully me into helping you while we were miles from the Knot. But now… you’re on my snow. _Our_ snow. My family, y’see, aren’t ones to be messed with. Once I tell ‘em that I’ve been beaten up by a group of mere _hatches,_ forced into leading them here, well…” The Sneasel’s mischievous grin suddenly appeared a lot more sinister. “Good luck getting out of here alive, I guess. Have fun!”

Putting on a burst of speed that none of them were prepared for, the Sneasel plunged into the darkness of the cave. They simultaneously ran over, but Fen could see nothing at all. Neither could the others, it seemed; Zephia swore loudly, which encouraged Ryu to yell at her:

“This is all your fault! This is what you get for thinking it’s okay to just… abuse Pokémon’s wishes! If we’d just–”

“Just _what_? Frozen ourselves to death in isolation?” Zephia shouted back. “It was my idea that took us _this_ far, so don’t blame me, you pathetic–”

In attempting to quell them, and in his own desperate condition, something between Fen saying “STOP!” and a wounded-sounding roar emerged from his jaws. Ryu and Zephia froze and stared him, both looking slightly astonished. Equally disturbed, Fen coughed and cleared his throat.

“It’s not over yet,” he said steadily. “The Sneasel doesn’t know who you are, Zephia. You could disguise yourself as something; maybe like him, if you remember what he looked like?”

Zephia took a few heavy breaths, and her eyes gradually regained focus. She nodded. “I… can do that, yes. But those ‘mon will attack you if you stay out here.”

“We’ll go with you then,” Ryu said.

“But the Sneasel implied that we’d get attacked if we even set foot in this place,” Fen said.

“Then we’ll be quick in there, and keep ourselves well hidden,” Ryu replied. “It’s better than the alternative.”

“I agree,” Zephia added. “I’ll try and find out where Absol lives now. Then I’ll come back here so we can go straight to her. That’ll be the fastest way.”

Fen couldn’t think of an immediate response, which was all the confirmation Zephia needed to disappear down the tunnel.

 _So… Zephia needs to find out where the Absol lives, and come back here before the Sneasel’s family attack me and Ryu. Then we need to go down, not get spotted, hope that the Absol can tell us what we need, then hope that the family somehow won’t find us on the way out… and even if that works, what_ then _?_ Fen shivered even considering it. _We’re miles and miles from anywhere… and we’re totally spent for energy…_

He didn’t want to do anything that could be overheard, and Ryu seemed to think the same. They huddled together silently, standing close to the tunnel, slowly getting consumed by cold, until after what felt like hours Zephia’s head emerged, panting hard.

“I’ve got it,” she said briefly. “Now if you…” Her eyes widened on Fen. “Your flame.”

“What about it?” Fen demanded.

“It’s too noticeable,” she said. “Put it out.”

“W-what – I can’t do that!” Fen yelped, panicked. “It only goes out when I sleep!”

Zephia paused. “Then… you have your seed?”

“Nope, I threw that already,” Ryu said quickly. “Would be useful now.”

“Then…” Zephia looked over Fen once more, a dark look in her eyes, He instantly grasped what she might be thinking.

“You’re not going to knock me out!” he cried, almost pleading.

“No… I think that’s just as risky,” Zephia murmured. “But there must be another way to put it out. You can’t control it _at all_?”

“To some extent, but–”

He stopped as another gale of freezing wind then hit them, and he cowered further than ever into the confines of his fur coat.

“Wait, that’s it!” Ryu cried over the gale. “The coat, Fen! Tie it ‘round your tail, obscure the flame!”

Zephia’s eyes flashed. “Give it to me!” she shouted.

Helped by Ryu, Fen forced the heavy skin off his shoulders and passed it to her. She took an edge and started frantically gnawing along it, until a sizeable piece had been ripped off. She wordlessly chucked it to Ryu, who cursed several times in trying to avoid the now-tiny fire on Fen’s rump.

“There,” Ryu panted, when it had at last been tied around the flame. “All right, Fen?”

Added to the cold, Fen suddenly felt like the air’s supply of oxygen had been slashed. It took a couple of agonising seconds for him to inhale enough air through his mouth. Even then, he was almost gasping for it. He turned to Ryu and made a gesture to his throat, before giving a thumbs up.

“Sorry ‘mon,” Ryu said sympathetically. They turned to Zephia, who didn’t need asking once.

“Stay close behind me,” she said. “Hold on if you need to.”

Fen and Ryu had just enough time to grab onto ruffs of her tail before she plummeted down into the Knot. Fen was running completely blind, without a light around him for the first time in his Chimchar life. Even though he could keep pace with Zephia, she turned so many hairpins that he was scrabbling to keep a hold of her while not dragging her back. His shortness of breath made him lightheaded and dizzy, and he had to focus every ounce of his concentration on staying with her tail. He heard voices and saw light sources come in and out as they ran, but none seemed to pursue them.

“We’re here!” Zephia hissed at them, skidding to a halt.

Fen tumbled straight into her, falling over, but stayed down as he immediately scrabbled at the fur around his tail. Then, a paw he couldn’t see slapped his feeble hands away and carefully undid the knot for him.

The moment it was removed, what could only be described as retched fire uncontrollably burst out of his mouth. Fortunately it had been facing the cave entrance rather than anyone in particular, though he heard Ryu mutter a curse of amazement at him. When the fire subsided after a couple of seconds, he gulped down lungfuls of musty cave air until he felt well enough to stand. Their surroundings were silent but for the sound of their breathing.

“Well, if anyone _was_ following us they would’ve noticed that,” Zephia murmured. “Looks like we’re safe for now.”

After a brief wild flare, Fen’s tail had returned to its tiny flame, but it enabled him to see Ryu and Zephia standing with him, unhurt. Then he picked up another source of breathing, and turned to the other end of cave, which was only a few feet away. A single Pokémon was lying there.

It was an Absol, no doubt, but it looked like no other Pokémon Fen had seen in Kyunn. Its body was malnourished to the point where it resembled a fur-covered skeleton; pools of liquid (he assumed it was sweat) surrounded its body; and its head was slumped against the cave floor, impossible for Fen to tell whether it was awake. Or even alive.

“Her name’s Osri, apparently,” Zephia whispered to him and Ryu.

Fen nodded, but he found the sight of the Absol alone almost unbearable. He had anticipated having to fight one perhaps, for disturbing its home, but to see this… he wasn’t at all prepared.

“Osri?” he said, testing his voice in the echoing chamber. “Osri, are you awake? We need to speak to you.”

The Absol lifted her head and opened her eyes for a brief second. They were tiny, unfocused red slits. Then she whined, and her head slumped down again. Before Fen could think of something else to do, she surprised him by speaking, her voice faint.

“I do not recognise you… but I beg you, leave me alone…”

Fen was wary of the Sneasel’s warning about Osri, despite the dubious source of information, so he hesitated to move closer to her.

“Osri, we want to learn about the natural disasters. We need to know… we thought you might know… why they’re–”

_“OWAAAEEEEHHH!!!”_

Out of nowhere, Osri gave a ferocious howl at them, her horn raised aggressively. But the aggression vanished almost immediately. Her head dropped again, and when she spoke it was as quiet and pained as before.

“The disasters… they cripple me, drive me to insanity… I lose track of time, of memories… I scream at them to stop, but they never relent, they…–”

She cried out again, before suddenly breaking down into hysterical tears, adding a few drips to the water around her.

“But why are they happening?” Ryu said beside Fen. He sounded equally as worried, but started taking small steps towards Osri, holding a paw out. “If you tell us, we’ll stop them, we’ll help you Osri! We… we really want to help you…”

Osri howled again and swung her scythe-like horn wildly in Ryu’s direction. He yelped, barely jumping backwards fast enough. Then Osri lifted her head and moaned, “Only the Gods could inflict this upon me. The movers of earth and sea are fighting… their conflict brings the whole of nature out of balance…”

“What? The… the movers of earth and sea?” Ryu repeated sceptically. “Surely… you can’t mean Groudon and Kyogre, can you?”

The moment Ryu said their names, Fen knew it to be true, like puzzle pieces fitting together in his head. The earthquakes, the rainstorms, both so powerful yet appearing out of thin air… they were the only Pokémon with the power to do those things. It had to be them.  

Suddenly, his head was filled with moving images, as if playing a film. He could see both Groudon and Kyogre, colliding with each other like two great Mightyena wrestling. There were tidal waves appearing from nowhere, chunks of land being crushed under their feet… he heard people screaming, running from their homes, clutching nothing but the people they held dear… he could feel the terror rising in himself, but he couldn’t turn away… he had to–

“AAAAGHHH!”

An immense shockwave of pain hit his head. The world spun, and he crashed to the ground without realising. His heart was beating so fast that he expected it to burst out of him.

“FEN!” Ryu was kneeling over him, eyes wide with fear. “What - are y-you okay…?”

 _I… what did I just see? That scene… there were people,_ human _people… that couldn’t be Kyunn… but if I saw it happen, then..._

He tried recalling the images, but the smallest probe into his mind made him wince in agony. His vision flickered, but he managed to recover and look Ryu in the eyes. “S-she’s right,” he said, body shaking. “Groudon and Kyogre… I s-saw them… they’re awake…”

“Fen… no... you can’t be serious…” Ryu said disbelievingly. “Groudon and Kyogre are stories. They don’t really exist, they’re just like the other legendaries–”

“ _They’re alive!_ ” Fen burst out. “ _I saw them!_ Osri can’t be wrong! Osri,” he gasped, turning to the Absol, “where are they? How do we stop them? Please…”

Osri’s head was withdrawn, and she started sobbing again. “I only feel their wrath… their pain… I cannot end it myself...”

Her head then shot up abruptly to the sound of several footsteps behind them. Fen spun around at the same time, and all thoughts of legendaries were forgotten. His heart dropped to his feet.

Three huge Weavile stood in front of the cave’s opening, with three more Sneasel at their sides, the smuggest-looking one Fen recognised. The Weavile’s long, white claws were raised at their sides, glowing in his tail light.

The broadest Weavile stepped forward and cast his eyes over their group with evident amusement. “Well, _thisss_ took longer than I expected!” he said, his voice deeper than the Sneasel’s but with the same hiss _._ “After the warning you were kind enough to be given, I expected any reasonable ‘mon would scat straight out of Rai. Guess I overestimated your intelligence. After all,” he went on, nodding to Osri on the floor, “what kind of idiots would come all this way to see someone as insane as _her_?”

He roared with the laughter, and the rest of the group did likewise. “Did she mutter the usual stuff about her _disasters,_ about how much it _hurts_ her? You at least knew not to get too close to her… she’s a total lost cause.” He laughed again, then his eyes focused on Fen, who while now standing, still shook. The other ‘mon’s eyes followed their leader’s. “Say, did she infect _you_ now? I told you not to get too close… or did I overestimate you _again_?”

“Leave him alone!” Ryu barked, standing beside Fen. “What’s wrong with you all, can’t you see how sick Osri is? Why don’t you help her?”

Fen stared at Ryu in horror. _What are you doing? Don’t make this guy angry, or we’ll only get beaten sooner!_

The Weavile raised his eyelids at Ryu. “I’ve already told you why, fool. She’s lost her mind.”

“Only because y-you won’t help!” Ryu hit back, but his quivering voice betrayed the intent of his words.

The Weavile, though still smiling, started walking towards Ryu. However, he’d barely taken a step before Ryu yelped and jumped behind Fen, cowering in fear. The Weavile collective found this hilarious, the small cave booming with their laughter.

“Never known a Fighter who can’t even live up to their name,” one of the Weavile spat at them.

“Makes you wonder how our bro even felt threatened by these idiots,” another one laughed.

 _Yes,_ Fen thought, _it does. What’s happened to you, Ryu?_ Not daring to look away from the Weavile, he tried to push Ryu away from behind him, but heard the Riolu hiss in his ear just as he did:

“On the signal, attack and run.”

Fen froze, still looking ahead. Had he imagined that? Could Ryu be planning something?

Ryu had now staggered beside him again, looking as terrified as before. While he whimpered, Fen turned towards him and their eyes met for the briefest of seconds. Fen knew his looks well enough to realise he hadn’t misheard. Ryu had, and still was, putting on an act.

Fen realised then that Zephia wasn’t next to them at all. But where had she gone? Had Ryu been intending to distract the Weavile’s attention away from her? And… what signal was he even waiting for?

One of the Weavile stepped forwards to stand between their two groups. “Hey look, the fools left some treasure on the floor for us!” she said, leaning over with her back to the rest of her group.

The only treasure Fen could see was the piece of fur that had been tied onto his rump. He had no idea why the Weavile found it so interesting, or why it was blocking the view of it from the rest of its species–

_Oh!_

“What is it?” the lead Weavile asked, a hint of scepticism in his tone.

“It’s pretty small… come closer and you’ll see,” the Weavile in front said teasingly.

Slowly, the lead Weavile approached her, with those behind him following. The Weavile who’d made the jibe about Ryu’s type hung back, however.

“Hold on,” she said, looking utterly bewildered. “Who the – ain’t that ‘Vile a copy of me?! What’s–”

“NOW!”

Fen was ready before the hunched Weavile had to shout. He leapt forwards and breathed the strongest flamethrower he could, benefitting from their enemies collectively moving forwards. As the Sneasel nearest him got a full body’s worth of fire, he saw Ryu throw his palm into one Weavile and tackle another ‘mon away from him, while Zephia dropped her illusion and spun, claws outstretched, into the lead Weavile before he could react.

Fen suddenly felt a claw slash into his side, breaking off his fire instantly. On all-fours, he instinctively kicked his two left limbs outward at the source, balancing on his right side. Then he remembered Ryu’s second instruction and bolted for the cave’s entrance. He was relieved to see the other two had the same idea. Sticking close to Zephia’s tail again, though with light on his side this time, she led them upwards through the labyrinth. Fen soon heard footsteps behind them – their attacks had only stunned the Weavile – and yelled at Zephia to hurry up. The sounds continued as they climbed, and just when he was convinced they’d gotten completely lost, the tunnel opened to daylight. They threw themselves out of the hole.

“Where now?” Ryu panted.

“Just away from here!” Zephia shouted back, already running again.

Fen tried to follow, but his side was hurting more with every step. A few feet from the hole, he risked a look backwards to see the Weavile jumping out of it behind them. _But on snow,_ he realised, his four limbs barely keeping balance, _our legs have even less chance of outrunning them. They’ll catch me in seconds, unless we find a way–_

_“GROOAAAAAAHHH!”_

Fen was sure that the earth moved. Unlike at Arkan, however, the sound shifting it came not from the ground, but above. He looked up just in time to see a great, red-blue-and-grey beast flying over them. It threw back its head and sent a torrent of fire into the chasing Weavile and Sneasel, completely covering them with smoke. Fen heard shrieks of pain and cursing, and when the ash had cleared all seven of them were lying in a heap, unmoving.

The Pokémon landed untidily in front Fen, Ryu and Zephia, its legs dragging in the snow and needing to plant its wings down for stability. Only once it had lowered its body flat, revealing Faoz sitting at the base of its neck, did Fen realise it was the same Salamence that had crashed.

Faoz jumped down, gave the Dragon an affectionate rub on its muzzle, then turned to face them.

“Did you get an answer?” she asked.

Fen tried to speak, but his brain seemed to have been left a few steps behind him. After opening his mouth and it not making a sound, he managed one step towards Faoz before losing consciousness.


	16. Fragile

Waking up felt… different.

His bed was too soft to be the inside of a rock, or the hardened mud of a dug-up hole. It actually… felt quite comfortable. And warm. It couldn't be warm. Weren't they on a freezing-cold mountain? They were still looking for… wait, no, they'd already found the Absol… it had told him about the disasters… he'd seen Groudon and Kyogre…

Memories of Darkrai's Knot suddenly flooded back to Fen, shocking him awake. Getting a sudden wave of urgency, he sat up… but the world spun dizzyingly around him, and he slumped helplessly down again. It took a few slow minutes for him to manage the simple action.

He was in a room, indoors… Ryu and Zephia were here, lying on hay beds, and he had one too. Further back on a damp-looking blanket was Faoz, though one of her eyes opened at him as he watched.

"Faoz…" he tried saying, though what came out was more of a hoarse squeak.

Faoz grunted as she got up. "Take it easy," she said brusquely. "I'll get you a drink. Water okay?"

Fen's mouth did feel very dry, but that was the least of his worries… all he could think about was the vision he saw… the world in such danger...

"Where are we?" he squeaked.

"Sanguin Town, my house," Faoz replied, walking past him to grab a cup.

"B-but, how… but Groudon and Kyogre are here, and… we need to stop them, and–"

He tried standing but his legs immediately buckled under him.

"I said,  _take it easy_!" Faoz snapped, as he was left in a heap. "You've been pushing your body to the absolute limit for days. It needs a rest. Now… water…"

Faoz seemed to gargle briefly inside her mouth. Then with the cup in hand, she spat an untidy stream of water into it, passing the cup over when three-quarters full. Fen hesitantly accepted. The cup was steaming… he dipped an experimental finger inside.

"This water's hot," he said.  _And you just… secreted it? No, that's the wrong word… uh…_

"I know," Faoz said. "Scalding, in fact. Thought you might appreciate it."

Fen stared blankly at her.

"Do you know what water is? Drink it!" she ordered. "It'll do you good."

Hoping that drinking straight from the mouth of a Water Pokémon was quite normal, Fen took a couple of sips. It did taste wonderful, warming and hydrating at the same time. He quickly downed the whole cup and set it aside. Though he still felt achy and rather odd about what he'd just done, the water re-energised him a little.

"Ryu and Zephia have filled me in on everything that's happened," Faoz told him. "Though there are still details they're unsure on. Specifically, what you apparently 'saw' in Darkrai's Knot."

Fen opened his mouth to spout more questions, but Faoz held a finned-arm up. "Don't panic yourself," she said, sounding delicate but forceful. "Whatever you're worried about, there's nothing we can do for the time being."

"Why not?"

"Because: rest!" Faoz said, exasperated. "And not just you! What about your friends, or Shaice? He carried the four of us on his back for nearly a half-day, and while you're not a Dragon, you can understand how exhausting that would be, yes?"

Fen's brain was starting to get back up to speed. "So… we flew back here? From Glyciak?"

"Yes," Faoz said. "You fell unconscious just as we arrived. The others were unanimous in wanting to get away from that place, and I wasn't going to argue."

"You slept through the whole flight, Fen," Ryu muttered to Faoz's side. He was lying down, evidently tired, but was grinning too. "It was  _soooo_ cool."

Fen gave him a half-smile and nod in return. But then he turned back to Faoz. "How long does Shaice need to rest? We need to go as soon as–"

"Fen," Faoz cut harshly over him, "you may be convinced of  _something_ , seemingly to do with this thing you saw, but none of us have a clue what that is! If you would be so kind as to let us  _know_ , then we might be more able to help. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Fen closed his mouth. Looking around the room, he saw that both Ryu and Zephia were now sitting up attentively. Neither of them knew what he'd seen either.

 _That vision…_ He tried concentrating on it, but it made his head ache almost immediately.

Faoz sensed that something was wrong. "If it's difficult to explain, try starting with the events preceding it. That would help us understand, too."

"Um… okay…" Fen said weakly. "So, we were in Darkrai's Knot, trying to talk to Osri… but she was in so much pain, she could barely speak…"

"Osri was the Absol you met?"

"Yeah," Ryu answered for him. "Although, you say met… I thought I recognised her. Me and Fen had seen an Absol before,  _way_ back in Cheri Forest, and it was the first one I'd ever seen, but…"

"No, I thought the same," Fen said. Having any conviction was comforting, like something firm for him to hold on to. "Back then, if it was Osri, she called so loudly… I couldn't understand why. A storm had already occurred earlier that day, and the next disaster, the earthquake, didn't even affect Cheri Forest. But I don't think she was warning us about a singular event. She must've known what was happening with the weather… that she would be driven insane…"

"She was running south, now that I remember," Ryu said. "Towards Darkrai's Knot."

"So you think she was fleeing?" Faoz asked.

"Yeah. I… guess she didn't want to hurt anyone," Fen murmured. "In Darkrai's Knot she could isolate herself."

 _Could that be true?_  Her situation was terrifying to think about, and he felt awful for her. To be in such severe, uncontrollable pain, that wouldn't end unless the disasters themselves did... it fuelled his motivation to stop them even more.

"But, to the point, Fen," Faoz said, "Osri did say  _something_ , didn't she?"

"Yeah… she said that the movers of earth and sea were the ones causing her pain, and that their fighting was bringing nature out of balance." Every one of her words felt burned into his mind.

Faoz grunted, glancing at Ryu. "Groudon and Kyogre did build the continents, according to legend. It does sound like them."

"That's what I thought," Ryu said. "Hard to believe, though…"

"But, you said their names, Groudon and Kyogre, Ryu," Fen continued, "and I got this sudden vision in my head…"

All eyes were on him now. "I'm not sure where it took place, but I could see Groudon and Kyogre fighting, wrestling with each other. There was–" he winced. "There was land just collapsing where Groudon stepped, and tidal waves appearing wherever Kyogre moved… it was terrifying. Then the memory started fading away, and I tried to see more, but I got such a strong pain when I did that I had to let go of it…"

"…And then?" Faoz prompted.

"Then it was gone. I still can't think clearly about it now. I tried to ask Osri how we could stop Groudon and Kyogre, but she just said that she had no control over her pain. Then the Weavile showed up before I could ask her more, and we had to get out."

There was a brief silence as the others took his story in.

"That's what you meant by 'seeing' them," Ryu said. "Sounds horrible."

Fen couldn't think of how to reply, but Faoz spoke soon after, frowning at him. "This vision… I am curious. Do you know when it was from? The past, present, future…?"

"The past," Fen said at once.

Faoz raised her eyelids. "You sound very certain. Is there something else you're not telling us?"

Fen paused for a moment, and she continued. "Personally, I would rule out the 'past' possibility first. Let me explain: Having visions of the future is possible, if only for the most advanced and devoted of Psychics. Yet having visions of the  _past_ , a past you have seemingly not seen yourself… I have never heard of such phenomena. And I've met plenty of Psychics.

"Furthermore, Ryu told me about the things you call 'emotion attacks', which he said convinced you that the current weather was a problem. Clearly, they were telling some form of truth, but this just adds to my confusion. It seems that, assuming you  _did_ see the past, you have two extraordinary, unheard-of Psychic abilities. Not only can you not control them, but they should simply  _not be possible_ for you, regardless of… well, any circumstances." She looked at him, all but saying: ' _Can you explain yourself?'_

Fen sighed, looking at the floor.  _Hardly surprising that she figured out something was wrong with me. Well, no point wasting time. If she's going to help us, it's probably imperative that she understands this…_

"I don't know exactly why those things happened as they did," he said, looking straight at Faoz, "but I have some ideas why. There's a few things you need to know. I'm not native to Kyunn. I woke up in Cheri Forest, the same day I met Ryu and saw that Absol. I had no memories of anything in my life preceding that day, except for three things. One was my name, second was that I lived in a place called Hoenn, and third was that I used to be a human.

"Now, I…" He stopped, noticing with alarm the anger that had flashed across Faoz's face. Her expression gradually cooled in the silence that followed. But her voice was still unnaturally quiet when she spoke.

"Do… continue."

"Uh… right." Fen tried not to read too much into her reaction. "I've suspected for a while that I'm connected to the natural disasters: be it by waking up the same day as the Absol's warning, or simply the emotion attacks. I know that the place I was from, Hoenn, was populated by both humans and Pokémon; and in the vision I had, I saw people –  _human_ people – running away. So, given I've lost all my old memories, I think that the vision wasn't strictly a  _vision,_ but a glimpse of the past I'd forgotten. That means I must have been looking at Hoenn. And that's where Groudon and Kyogre must be right now. Which means that, to stop the disasters, we have to go to Hoenn."

Faoz was wringing her paws together very tightly. "I… I did not expect this," she murmured. "You two," she said suddenly, looking between Ryu and Zephia. "What do you think?"

"O-of what? Everything he said?" Ryu stammered. "I mean, I know Fen's telling the truth about himself… He wouldn't lie–"

"Of course he wouldn't lie!" Faoz shouted. "That… that would be insanity!" She sounded angrier than Fen had ever heard. Glancing frantically between them all, she continued. "None of you have any idea, do you? You don't know the history of this place… why humans are never spoken of… nothing…"

No one dared respond. Eventually, she got up and started pacing the small room.

"I suppose I should tell you the story I know," she said. "This was told by Dragons from the Zarrac Highlands. There may be 'mon other than the Dragons who witnessed it happen, but by now I think the knowledge is scarce.

"Long before any of us were born, a group of humans arrived at Kyunn by sea. There are different theories as to why this island appealed to them. Some believe they wished to harness the rare seeds and fruits that grow here; others think they saw it merely as an arbitrary land to conquer. Nevertheless, they made two visits. On the first, they came alone but didn't make it far. The native Pokémon saw these humans as hostile, and were easily able to scare them away. But the humans, realising that Kyunn couldn't be simply walked onto and claimed, soon returned in far greater numbers. On this second visit, all of them carried their own Pokemon. They had been trained under the humans like slaves; made to follow their master's every command, right to the point of unconsciousness.

"These 'mon were immediately confronted by the native Dragons. The Dragons urged them to back down, warning that their lives would be in danger should they try and fight. But the human-trained 'mon, refusing to disobey their masters, did not heed their advice. A war ensued, closer fought than the Dragons expected; the humans had multiple Pokémon each, some of which had been trained to terrifying extremes. But the humans eventually realised they were fighting a losing battle. They took back the few uninjured 'mon they had left and fled with them, while those more seriously hurt were left on the battlefield to die. And, to my ancestors' knowledge, humans have not been seen on Kyunn since."

She stopped pacing and turned to them. "You see Fen, I  _believe_ that you were a human. Simply because there's no way any 'mon would want to associate with them. Do you understand?"

Fen had hardly considered why Kyunn was so devoid of humans, or even  _knowledge_  of humans for that matter. In that regard, Faoz's story made perfect sense. But as he thought more about it – replayed her words in his head – he couldn't help feeling angry.

"They… they weren't like slaves," he said slowly. "The Pokémon. That's not how it works. In order to fight for a human, a trainer, a Pokémon has to build a strong enough bond with them. It's a friendship."

"That hardly matters," Zephia spoke up. "The humans took advantage of their obedience to force them into doing their dirty work. Trying to win a war over this island because they were too cowardly to do it themselves. It doesn't surprise me at all… exactly what I'd expect of them…"

Had he not been trying to persuade Faoz into taking them to Hoenn, Fen would've blown his fury on Zephia. As it was, he only stared at her so fiercely that he half-expected fire to bulge out of his eyes. And really… what could he argue back with? What Faoz described did sound terrible. Undoubtedly, the humans were wrong for trying to destroy Kyunn's pure Pokémon culture, its incredible natural habitats, purely for their own gains.

But on the other hand, these events happened many years ago, long before Faoz was born. Why should he feel in any way responsible for the humans' actions? He'd already worried enough about his past…

"No, I don't understand," he said to Faoz. "What does that story mean? Do you think I'm evil? That I'll force you into following some scheme I have planned?"

"No," Faoz replied, gritting her teeth. "I can clearly see – and your friends, I'm sure, would agree – that you're not anything like those humans. It would be short-sighted to judge you on your ancestors' history."

"Right!" Ryu added. "Of course you're not evil!"

Though Faoz's assumptions about his ancestors irked him, Fen was hugely grateful for her support. Zephia did not say anything, but he didn't need to confirm what her views were.

Faoz continued. "I'm not worried about you, Fen. But I am worried about where you want to go. This human-inhabited land."

Fen had to pause for thought. He'd wanted to go to Hoenn ever since he recognised its name, yet for all that desire, he'd never given much thought to a major problem: By every physical definition, he was a Pokémon. Not a human. And if he remembered correctly, Pokémon were rarely allowed to roam freely in residential towns. They had to be trained, have a human with them, otherwise they'd be thrown out into the wild. Which meant if he showed up now, he'd have to either be stealthy around towns or avoid them entirely.

_Did I… did I always know that? Or am I starting to remember things?_

Either way, it made little difference. He couldn't ignore that vision he'd seen. Hoenn, and clearly Kyunn too, were in ever-mounting danger. As real as Faoz's concerns were, they needed putting to one side.

"It won't be easy for us," he said carefully. "You may well get hurt, even though I will do everything I can to protect you. But listen: worrying about humans is  _nothing_ compared to what else we're up against. Groudon and Kyogre are out there! If we're to have any chance of stopping them, we  _must_ go to Hoenn. There's no other option. And we need to go as soon as possible."

Faoz hesitated for a few seconds. "I understand," she said. "And I am willing to trust your judgement. However, how  _do_ you plan to stop Groudon and Kyogre? We need to go to this  _place_ , sure, but I thought the Absol couldn't tell you anything about stopping them…"

"Well – no, she couldn't," Fen said, avoiding Faoz's piercing gaze.  _She asks some seriously tough questions. I guess I should be glad that_ somebody's  _flagging them up…_ "Assuming that we can't defeat them in battle, there was one way that I immediately thought of. I wasn't confident in it, because… well, for the same reason that I never considered Groudon and Kyogre to be causing the disasters. That way would be… to find Rayquaza."

The idea went down better than he expected; no one gawped at him or shook their heads dismissively.

"I didn't wanna say, but… I was wondering that too," Ryu said.

"As was I," Faoz said. "You know the myths, then."

"How do you know them?" Fen asked.

"Well, supposedly long ago, Groudon and Kyogre fought a war over the land and sea. It raged for many moons. Rayquaza, the ruler of the sky, eventually appeared and calmed their fighting, before sealing them into the earth for eternity."

_Huh. That's exactly how I know it. Suggests that there was at least some truth involved…_

"Right," Fen said. "For some reason, Rayquaza hasn't stopped them this time. It must be sleeping or something. All we need to do is find it, tell it what's happening, and it'll resolve their conflict again."

None of the 'mon around him could disguise the scepticism on their faces.

"Look, I know it's a long shot, but there must be  _some_  way to stop them!" Fen said defiantly. "And I mean, the humans living there must know  _something_  about what's happening!"

 _Of course, if they knew how to stop them, they would have already done it, but…_ Fen pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.

"I don't have any better ideas," Faoz conceded. "But there's one more problem."

"What?"

"Well…  _where_  is this 'Hoenn'? Do you know?"

"I…" Fen paused. "Zephia, you came from there, don't you remember?"

"Not exactly," Zephia growled. "I remember… where the place the Pidgeot dropped me looked like. I could probably direct you to Hoenn from there... but I have no idea where that place is."

"Excuse me? 'The Pidgeot'?" Faoz repeated, baffled.

"The Pidgeot that carried me onto this island," Zephia said impatiently. "Long story."

"Uh… right," Faoz said. "Well, if we're confined to Kyunn, it shouldn't be too hard to work out where you were… What did this area look like? Was it near the sea?"

"Yeah… there was a little sand on the shore, but not much."

"What was beyond that?" Faoz made a move for their map of Kyunn, but met Fen and Ryu's eyes as she did so. "Hm... We need to work this out, and I need to talk to Shaice about our plans. You two don't need to stay with us."

"What about Shaice?" Fen asked. "Will he want to fly us there?"

"I'm confident that I can persuade him," Faoz said. "We've known each other for a long time; we know when to trust each other."

Fen nodded. "Okay. What should we do in the meantime?"

"Well – here." Faoz passed her almost-empty bag to them; it was slightly bigger than Ryu's. "We'll need to stock up on supplies before leaving. Normally I would just take foods that the chefs here aren't using, but that isn't possible right now. Go to the market in town and get as much food as you can carry. Also, if Scout is around, you have my permission to buy anything he's selling; it'll all be useful in some form."

"We don't have any poké–" Ryu began, but Faoz held an arm up for him to stop. She looked very concentrated on something, which Fen couldn't understand until he noticed the yellow sac around her body sag, as if deflating. When it had almost flattened against her fur, Faoz dug one paw underneath where the sac hung around her neck. She pulled out a small key. Then she scurried over to a corner of the room, where a wooden chest was sitting resolutely.

"High security," she joked, inserting the key into the chest's metal lock. She opened it only for a second, pulling out an old, drawstring bag and chucking it to them. "Take a look."

Ryu cautiously peered inside, and his eyes instantly lit up in the glow of gold coins. "Whoa, this is… so much poké!" he exclaimed. "I… we can buy  _anything_!"

"Yes, there should be enough to buy all you need," Faoz smiled. "As I say, food is the priority, but pay Scout a visit too. Just… don't show him your poké  _before_  you start negotiating," she added slyly.

Fen did find it odd how Faoz could trust them with what appeared to be some serious riches, but he and Ryu – the latter especially – weren't complaining.

"Well, I'm ready for this," Ryu said excitedly, giving Fen his own bag to fit Faoz's around his shoulders. "Let's go already!"

"Zephia, you come with me to talk to Shaice," Faoz said. Zephia just nodded. "We'll meet you back here, all being well."

"Gotcha," Ryu said. "See ya later."

Fen was about to point out that they'd all be leaving through the same door, but then Faoz went over to the window on the room's opposite side and dove through it like a hoop. Zephia gave Fen and Ryu an ambiguous glance before following her out.

"We came in through the window," Ryu told him helpfully. "It leads straight out of town, which is where Shaice is sleeping. More practical than him landing in the middle of a street."

"I'd bet," Fen said without humour. He moved towards the door. "It's weird that Faoz said she couldn't borrow food from the chefs… what could be–"

Entering the main room of Faoz's building, his question was instantly answered. The place was  _swarming_  with Pokémon. It seemed that the room now contained nothing else; the desk and bulletin board that Faoz had in place before were both gone. And unlike at Arkan, where the crowd of 'mon were only Fires, here there was an infinite variety of colours, shapes and sizes.

"Oh… Faoz mentioned this," Ryu said. "Basically, the bad weather destroyed a lot of homes, too many for the builders to rebuild within the day. Also, with the damage being done to other habitats, lots of 'mon are migrating here because they see it as a safer place than wherever they were living. They all need somewhere to sleep, so…"

"This got turned into… some kind of safehouse," Fen finished. His impatience to reach Hoenn had been stirred again at this sight of disarray. He quickly barged a path through the packed bodies, ignoring various murmurs of discontent, and stepped outside into the town.

The scene here was hardly any different. There were Pokémon all over the streets, many of whom appeared to be still be searching for cover. The town itself had always been an unorganised mess of houses, but its current state looked more like a half-demolished building site. About a third of the houses Fen remembered were still in good shape. Most of the rest were either damaged or in a state of rebuilding, along with a few piles of rubble that seemed to have been plain abandoned.

 _Faoz mentioned that the town had been suffering, but I didn't expect it to be this bad. There's not enough shelter, everyone looks like they're expecting another disaster… no wonder they all seem so miserable..._ If his muscles weren't still aching, Fen would've run to the market in his haste to escape here. He had to settle for a brisk walk.

When they reached the market itself it was, in contrast, almost deserted. Many stalls were completely empty, and those that were active – the item storage, the food stall and the bag shop looked the only ones – were devoid of customers.

The only Pokémon stood in the square other than the shopkeepers were a Blastoise and Kangaskhan, both alone. Ryu soon learned from the grumpy-looking Blastoise – even though Fen hardly cared for an explanation – that they had volunteered to guard against theft. Poor crop yields had led to food shortages, which in turn created a hike in prices. As more 'mon migrated to the town, the problems only got worse, eventually resulting in an outbreak of stealing from those going hungry. The town was now working to supply food for those who couldn't afford it, but Fen could tell by the Blastoise's pessimistic manner that this hadn't been easy going.

The Vigoroth's food stall was only manned by the one of them, rather than the three that Fen remembered seeing scampering around before. With some fast negotiation – not helped by Ryu raising their sack of poké and asking how much it would cost to buy  _everything_  the Vigoroth had – they came out with Faoz's bag stuffed full of a mixture of berries and nuts. It would supposedly last four Pokémon for three days, after Ryu assumed that their fifth member, Shaice, would be on a meatier diet.

"Looks like Scout's still around," Ryu said cheerfully, pointing out the hut hanging awkwardly at the edge of the square. It had some notable changes; the fake berries that had been on display were gone, and the old canopy over it had been replaced with a sturdier, thatched-wood construction. The main distinguishing factor was Scout himself, lying in his favoured sleeping position in front of his hut's door.

Fen already felt doubtful. Unless Scout had been foraging recently, it was likely that he'd be sold out of any good berries. Seeds were another option, but they were risky and very situational...

"Hey." Ryu suddenly stopped. "What's going on over there?"

Though Fen yearned to ignore the distraction, preventing a twitch of his right ear was impossible. Some ruckus was coming from that direction, but there were already taller Pokémon crowding ahead of him, making it impossible to see what was happening.

"It's probably nothing," he muttered. "Let's just talk to Scout and get back…"

But before he could, the Linoone himself had clambered over his counter and was standing on his hind legs, facing the noise.

"Alright lads," he said, nodding as they approached. "Some disagreement going down in the square… seems to be one every day now..."

"D'you know what it's about?" Ryu asked.

Yawning, Scout craned his neck even higher. "Can't hear what they're saying from here, but looks like ol' Ferri's caught up in it again. Look, I love the guy, but a Furret can only do so much… especially given all the migration problems we've been having…"

"Scout!" Fen almost shouted. The Linoone finally looked down at him. "We need items, alright? Can you–"

He froze, as a harsh cry cut through to his senses like a needle. His impatience evaporated, turned to fear. The cry was unmistakable, even if he hadn't heard it sound so desperate before…  _Cyan!_

He bolted towards the sound, ignoring Ryu's confused shouts after him, and ducked under larger bodies in the crowd until he had a clear view of the square. It was clearly split into two sides. On one, at least a dozen strong-looking 'mon stood in a triangle formation. An enraged Ursaring was at its head, and just ahead of him was a Nidorino, who was crouched with his horn tilting outwards.

On the other side were a handful of Mightyena, and in the middle of them was a Furret, who had to be Ferri, the town's mayor. He was cowering feebly behind the back of the one 'mon who Fen had identified immediately: Cyan. The Quilava was on all-fours, canines bared, growling furiously. From her and the Nidorino's identical body shapes, it looked like they'd just exchanged attacks.

"I don't care where you all came from!" Cyan spat. "If you don't act with some  _decency_ , you don't deserve to stay here!"

" _Decency_?!" the Ursaring boomed back, loud enough to make Fen's sensitive ears ring. "It was your  _mayor_  who wanted to push us away! Not enough shelter, not enough builders…  _pathetic_  excuses! Perhaps he doesn't trust us, worries our group is too powerful for him to control…"

"No! That's – that's crazy thinking!" Cyan screamed at him, eyes wide. "If you just… use your heads, please–!"

She didn't have time to finish. A Medicham leapt out from behind the Ursaring, a crackling, blue ball of energy between its hands. The ball grew twice the size of its head, then it raised its hands, gave a vicious cry and hurled the sphere into Cyan.

"NO!" Fen cried out, but the ball's deafening explosion drowned him out. A bright blue light momentarily blinded him; once it cleared, the square had turned to chaos. Suddenly, Pokémon on each side were fighting without restraints, yelling and tackling and biting each other, their combined attacks creating a terrifying sea of colours. Fen was vaguely aware of the crowd around him fleeing; some were howling and screaming about it. But he didn't move. Cyan was hurt!

After the opening rush of attacks, 'mon started facing up to one another individually rather than in groups. With the sheer number of battles, it became hard to tell who was on each side. It also caused the brawl to spread out, moving beyond the small square towards them–

Ryu cried something next to him. Before he could react, Fen was tackled to the ground, just in time for a purple blur to whistle over their heads. As he and Ryu scrambled up, the blur stopped and turned back to them. It was the Nidorino who had faced down Cyan. It looked delirious with anger; its eyes unfocused, it launched itself wildly at Ryu. Ryu partially swerved away, taking a claw to his left side, but retaliated with a flying kick that sent the Nidorino skidding even further from the central square, down towards the market.

Fen was about to follow the attack, but noticed a flash of red and blue in his periphery. There he saw Cyan. She was in front of a rickety wooden house, struggling to get up from the floor. The Rhydon she was fighting looked coldly at her, and was about to kick her further into the dirt, but she just scrambled away in time. She was alone and, judging by her shaking limbs, was in a pretty desperate state.

Almost before Fen considered the idea, he found himself galloping frantically in her direction. He leapt three times his height over a white-and-purple 'mon, then just managed to duck under a Tauros' headbutt crossing him. He was headed for the Rhydon, who was yet to notice him. He drew nearer, readied fire in his mouth to release… then a Primeape appeared from nowhere and stuck out its leg.

Running full speed, the trip threw Fen spinning into the air. He watched himself fly helplessly past the Rhydon, about to crash into the ground… but then he hit something warm and soft.

Cyan quickly threw him off her midriff. Having risen unsteadily onto two legs to catch him, she quickly dropped to four to avoid falling over entirely. While Fen was dazed, she sent a flamethrower towards the Rhydon, making it recoil a few stomps.

Cyan turned one eye towards him. "What are you doing?" she demanded, breathing heavily.

"Trying to help you!" Fen replied, though he was panting equally as hard.

Cyan looked at him disbelievingly. "Right, well–" she glanced at the Rhydon again. Its horned skull was lowered threateningly. "–there's a better chance with two of us. Fire attacks won't be the most effective here, but it's all we've got. You ready?"

Fen hesitated before giving a weak "Ready" back. He already felt beaten and hadn't even faced an attack.  _Faoz told me earlier that my body needed a rest… what was I thinking, trying to fight?! I should be in Hoenn, not here!_

Cyan started running, despite her evident fatigue. Once within reach of the Rhydon's body, she jumped sideways and – to Fen's astonishment – fired a mid-air flamethrower at it. The Rhydon seemed ready, ducking its body into a half-ball to protect itself. Emerging from the smoke, its head armour looked slightly singed, but it didn't seem to affect its energy.

As Cyan landed, it lowered its great head and jabbed its horn repeatedly at her. It wasn't the fastest attack, but Cyan's body seemed to move in slow motion, and she took three painful hits. Then the Rhydon's head turned and its eyes were suddenly on Fen; in the distraction and his tiredness, he'd forgotten why he was there. He remembered far too late.

The Rhydon's back legs flexed, and it lifted itself briefly into the air. When it landed the ground violently gave way underneath Fen. Flat on his stomach, he felt like the energy in his body was being crushed out of him. He heard screams behind him, then footsteps and a cracking sound. Pieces of wood rained over his lower half. The house behind him must've collapsed.

Cyan cried out his name. He didn't know what she did to hold the Rhydon off, but when she appeared she seemed more concerned with something small next to him. His head was swimming; he couldn't see clearly.

"Listen, you can't fight like this, you'll only hurt yourself more. Get somewhere safe. I'll hold this 'mon off until we get more numbers. And… take this, whatever it is…"

She thrust an object into his arms and his eyes suddenly focused, lighting up in recognition.  _The seed pouch… I'm still wearing Ryu's bag! It must've fallen out of there. And something's inside this…_

Sure enough, ripping it open revealed the one, bright-red violent seed they had left. But as soon as the idea entered his mind, another part of him objected.  _You don't even know what this seed does! It's far too risky to try now!_

Then he looked up and saw Cyan and the Rhydon trading blows again, the Quilava wincing with every movement. A glance around showed a number of the Mightyena on the floor, beaten, and the Ursaring was regrouping with some of its victorious allies. Those in houses close to the square were fleeing from them, screaming in terror.

_This can't happen… the town's already falling apart… if those 'mon win, there'll be nothing left of it…_

He grabbed the seed and bit into it.

Dangerous situations for Fen were often like balancing two states of mind: conscious thought and instincts. With his thoughts he could work out the best possible action, though this had to happen quickly, given the speed Pokémon moved. If that wasn't viable, there were his instincts, but they were like a wild beast in comparison, almost always screaming  _attack_  to him. There had been times when, on instinct alone, he had produced attacks well beyond his conscious limits and understanding. But his urges were often reckless, thus he usually ignored them.

Now he felt like, impossibly, someone had turned both states of his mind up to maximum. He was perfectly aware of his surroundings, almost too aware; the world looked unusually sharp and focused. But he wasn't fatigued anymore, or even afraid of his situation. He was confident. And he had an abundance of energy, so much that he felt sizzling with it.

Cyan was looking at him curiously; when she spoke, the words seemed to float beyond his understanding. Not that it mattered;  _he_  knew what needed to be done. This Rhydon didn't stand a chance.

"Get out of the way!" he told her. Strangely, she jolted away from him at this, but then she leapt towards the Rhydon and puffed plumes of black smoke into its face. It was blinded. This was his chance to attack.

He didn't try to summon fire. This wasn't the right opponent; Cyan's attacks had proven that. No… what this Rhydon needed was a  _punch_. Yes. That would crush its grey body armour, its defences, without doubt.

The Rhydon wasn't more than 20 paces away, but he didn't need more than five to reach top speed. After 10, his feet left the ground and he pulled back his arm. All the while, his body was impossibly gathering more and more energy. He embraced the sensation, demanding more of it; he'd never felt so brilliant.

His arm swung forwards, but all he could see now was a bright light, so intense that he had to shut his eyes. He didn't care what this was – the Rhydon would still be in front of him, too slow to dodge his fist.

Finally, he felt the satisfaction of his fist breaking into the 'mon's body, and the white light around him cleared. Eager to inspect his damage, he saw his arm–

_His arm._

Every muscle in his body seemed to freeze at once. He stopped breathing. He fell from the sky, onto his stomach, which forced him to gasp for air. He reopened his eyes and moved them very slowly, very carefully, towards his left limb.

His arm was  _huge_ ; at least the double the width it had been, and longer too. His fingers looked like they'd been inflated, and had changed colour from yellow to tan. A gold ring of fur had appeared out of nowhere on his upper arm.  _Both_ arms, as he turned to check; his non-punching arm had been affected in the same way.

 _Wait,_ punching _? Since when have I ever punched anything without fire? What… what did that seed do to me?!_

He lifted his head up to check where the Rhydon was. Instead, he found the whole square seemingly frozen in time. The fighting had stopped, and every single Pokémon's attention was silent, their attentions… fixed solely on  _him_.

The Rhydon's head was slumped on the floor. Fen saw its eyes flicker open, looking at him, but it didn't show any desire to fight back, or any anger… it looked wonderous, admiring. Almost happy for him. Other 'mon had the same expression. And those who had fled the square were running  _back_  now, and they were stopping too, just to look at him… it didn't make any sense…

"Fen? Fen!"

Hearing a voice he could understand – and Cyan's, no less – relaxed him significantly. She appeared on all fours in front of him, with an odd expression he couldn't figure out, and lowered her voice so only he could hear.

"Hey, how are you feeling? All okay?"

 _Uh…_  Fen looked down at his arms and shook his head. "I feel–"

He paused. His voice felt about an octave deeper. He tried again.

"I… I…" His voice's new register refused to change. "I feel really strange," he said eventually, giving up.

Cyan examined him. "What did that seed do? Where did you get it?"

He frowned.  _I… remember Scout being very clear on what the seeds looked like, but as for their specific function…_

"Scout gave it to us," he said. "He called it a violent seed, and said something about using it in desperate times only."

Cyan groaned at this. "Of course it was Scout…"

"What's wrong with that?"

Cyan shook her head. "You scared me for a moment," she said. "When you ate the seed, you just… I don't know, turned crazy. Before you went for the Rhydon, you growled at  _me_ like I was an enemy!"

"Huh? Before the Rhydon… I just told you to get out of the way..."

"No! That might've been your intention, but you  _growled_! And not just that, the look in your eyes was, well… you looked about ready to murder someone!"

Fen tried thinking back, and found his memories of those moments had a weird haziness over them. In that haze, he still thought he'd told her to get out of the way. But it was strange that he hadn't been able to understand her speak…

"Do you feel normal now? You don't want to attack anyone?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Fen said impatiently. "Cyan, what–"

"Alright then!" Cyan gave a sigh of relief. "You're acting normally. I guess the seed wore off after you evolved. Not  _such_  a bad trade-off, really." She grinned. "C'mon, I'll give you an arm up. I remember how confusing this was…"

 _I… evolved…_ As her words sunk in, his highly tensed muscles loosened.  _Of course, that makes so much sense!_

An array of emotions collided with him. There was happiness, obviously; he could tell that was his instinctual side being pleased with itself. Relief, that nothing bad had happened to him.

Confusion: a lot of it. How  _could_ this have happened? For one, he'd only been living in this body for three weeks. It took most Pokémon years to evolve, so how had he achieved it so quickly? Additionally, he'd wondered before whether, given his humanism, it was even possible for him to evolve. Clearly it was, but evolving had drastically changed his body from what it was before – the second time that had happened. What did that mean for him? How much of himself – his old self, at least – could still be around now?

Even ignoring this, there was a lurking impatience. As interesting as it was, entering a brawl and accidently evolving was not what they were here for. He and Ryu still needed to visit Scout, get back to Faoz and…

 _Wait a minute…Ryu…_ He looked around the crowd without success.

_...Where's Ryu?_


	17. What Matters

"Fen, you're gonna need to help yourself a little. You're probably heavier than me now."

Cyan's voice brought him back to reality, and he felt her arm around his shoulders. Getting to his feet wasn't difficult – he didn't feel at all short on energy – but he realised when standing why the arm was necessary. The ground felt impossibly small and far away, making him sway on his feet. Everything seemed to have shrunk… he and Cyan were nose-to-nose with each other.

Though his mind was still on Ryu, he couldn't resist inspecting himself. In addition to his larger proportions, the pale fur on his stomach, hands and feet had become a light brown. Something white was blocking his view slightly; he felt around his neck, where a ruff of fur much like Zephia's had appeared. That felt nice. On his head, the sorry excuse for hair that he'd been carrying had largely disappeared. Only a little bit of 'loose fur', as he'd come to think of it, remained. What pleased him most, though, was that his head seemed the only part of him not to have grown at all; it was probably a reasonable size now.

Underneath his fur, he could feel his fire store burning stronger and hotter than before – that didn't surprise him. But there was also a new energy present, one that concentrated itself more in his limbs than his stomach. He had a strange urge to punch something again.

In response to him standing, a few Pokémon, mostly Fires, broke into the same sort of applause that he'd been greeted with at Arkan; a mixture of cries, claps and cheers. Some of the square joined in, but a significant proportion didn't. Then the Ursaring leader stepped towards the centre of the now-ruined square, holding an apologetic paw up, and everyone went quiet. He waited for the rest of his group to join him before speaking.

"On behalf of all of us from the north-west, I apologise." His voice seemed unnaturally calm compared to the first time he'd spoken. "We are tired, bruised, and allowed our frustrations to take over us. We will–" he nodded at Ferri, who was still shaking slightly, "follow your mayor's wishes, and wait here for shelter to become viable. We will also voluntarily repair the…  _terrible_ damage that our fight inflicted. Again, our apologies."

He signalled to Fen. "Had it not been for this 'mon, I worry to think where we might have ended up. So thank you, Monferno. And congratulations, of course."

_Monferno. Sounds a whole lot better than Chimchar, I'll admit…_

As the Ursaring walked over to Ferri, Fen was only vaguely listening to Cyan in his ear. "Hey, congrats! Can't say I expected this so soon after we met… but I guess you've come a long way since asking me how to breathe fire, huh?" She chuckled happily.

_So I evolved… and it had the power to make everyone stop and notice, to make them realise that this fighting was self-destructive. Makes sense for it to be such a special event… many Pokémon only evolve once in their lives…_

"Fen?" Cyan gave him a nudge with the arm around his shoulders. "You there? I think Ferri wants to see you. By the way, where were you for so long? Word just arrived of what happened at Arkan, did you reach there? Must've been awful… I'm glad our family left some time ago…"

_I should be happy about this… the town will survive a little longer now. But even so…those 'mon's savage behaviour was caused by the disasters, I'm sure of it. We experienced the same thing on our travels. Which means something like this is bound to happen again. We don't have much time… we need to get to Hoenn, right now!_

An alert area of brain reminded him that someone was speaking. He jerked his head towards Cyan. "Uh, sorry. Was distracted."

He intended to walk swiftly towards Ferri, but stopped after one step, feeling the strangest sensation on his back. Putting a tentative arm behind him, he yelped as he felt a solid, muscular object there. Pulling the object around him – amazed for that to even be possible – he stared. He had a tail now. No longer just a small extension of his back, but a  _proper_ tail. And it was on fire!

He suddenly wanted to try swishing it left and right, but fought off the excited impulse. That could wait. Tail aside, walking wasn't much different from how he remembered, just…  _bigger_.

He wasn't listening much to Ferri either, only catching snippets of repeated thanks and words about 'this wonderful town'. He remembered that Ryu's fight with the Nidorino had been sliding towards the market, so started in that direction as soon as Ferri had finished.

"Fen?"

He mentally slapped himself; how many times was he going to blank Cyan? "Uh… yeah?" he said awkwardly, turning his head. "Sorry, I, uh, need to find Ryu. We got split up."

"Oh." Cyan glanced to her left, towards where she lived. "I need to check on my family too. They should be fine, our house is a way away, but… you know…"

"Yeah." An awkward pause followed, then something she said suddenly flashed through Fen's mind. "Did you mention something about Arkan?"

"Huh? Oh, right… earlier today, a group of about ten Fires arrived here. They were dead on their feet, but they had enough energy to say that Arkan basically… erupted, and everyone there had to flee for their lives. Did you see it happen? Sounded terrifying…"

"I… heard about it," Fen lied, too impatient to tell a story now. "Do you remember the species that arrived? Was there a Flareon or Fletchinder among them?"

"There were a lot of different species… not sure about a Flareon." Cyan frowned. "And a Fletchinder? That's unlikely… birds don't tend to live in grounded places like this…"

"Oh."

"I can ask about the Flareon. What's their name?"

Fen hesitated before saying, "Leo." It was pointless in reality; Cyan wouldn't get back to him when they were about to leave the town.

Cyan sensed his disappointment. "Look, if Leo  _didn't_  turn up today, he's probably on his way. Those 'mon that arrived were only the first from Arkan. There'll be plenty more."

Though Fen found her optimism admirable, he couldn't see things the same. Leo and Charro could've died… though he'd suspected that for a while, he didn't expect the confirmation to hit him so hard.

"Fen, I'll see you later, alright?" Cyan said. "It'd be cool to catch up on things sometime. Have a good evening." With a kind, reassuring smile to him, she began walking away.

_But it's not just Leo and Charro I won't see… it's everyone. This whole island. I might never be coming back here! Cyan… why was I so rude to her?! Once we leave, I'll never get to–_

"Wait, Cyan!"

Now she turned awkwardly, looking expectant.

"Uh… bad time and all, but… could you… give me a hug, please?"

The look of restrained laughter Cyan gave made him wish that evolution had removed his mouth. "So polite," she quipped. "Well, it's your special day, so sure I'll give you a hug, ya big hugger."

Their equal height made this even better than his first hug with her, his arms able to fit perfectly around the space between her lit flame spots. The warmth, the softness of fur… he fixed them firmly in his mind, desperate not to forget them.

Once they said goodbye for a second time, he managed to regather his thoughts towards Ryu. He started down the passageway connecting the square and the town market. Hearing shouts in the distance, he doubled his pace, testing out his body's four-legged gallop for the first time.

When he reached the market, it was a scene of wreckage.

The first thing to notice was that Scout's hut – what used to be his hut – had been reduced to a pile of blackened rubble. Ryu and the Nidorino were standing a few yards from the remains, bodies charred. Ryu looked worst off, with his black and non-black portions of fur impossible to tell apart. Opposite them was Scout, but it was difficult to tell how bad his fur was behind the Blastoise pinning him to the floor. Scout was screaming incoherent curses, trying to wriggle and claw his way off the Water 'mon despite the clear mismatch in strength.

A crowd had gathered here, too; the few shopkeepers around combined with a few 'mon Fen supposed had just been attracted by Scout's wailing. Ryu glanced up as Fen came closer, and he looked miserable. His eyes showed no interest in Fen, and he quickly turned away to re-observe the Scout situation.

Fen froze up for a second, wondering if this could implausibly be the wrong Riolu, before deducing a more likely explanation. He had to almost shout above Scout. "Ryu – it's me, Fen!"

Ryu blinked at him for a few seconds. The moment that it seemed to dawn on him what had happened, he dropped his head, then turned back to the Blastoise.

"Can I go?" he asked weakly. Scout's flailing was starting to lose energy, though his narrowing eyes were still glaring in Ryu's direction.

"Probably best if you do," the Blastoise grunted back, waving him away without a glance.

Ryu cast one last look at the hut's remains, then picked up Faoz's bag from the floor and hurried over to Fen, leading them out of the market.

Fen expected Ryu to speak first, but he just trudged forwards with his head down. "Ryu, are you okay? Your fur… what happened back there?"

"Isn't it obvious? I messed up again. All of Scout's stuff is gone, he's gone insane…"

"How did you mess up? You couldn't have burned down the shop…"

"I don't know how I did it," Ryu grumbled. "Me and that Nidorino were fighting, like everyone else was, and we lost track of where we were. We ended up in the market square, in front of Scout's hut, not that I realised that, and the 'Rino tackled me into the back of it. I crashed through its wall into a back room, then… it just exploded!"

"Could you… explain what the explosion was like?" Fen said. "It can't have been down to you..."

"Well, it felt like I'd been pushed into an inferno, it hurt that much. I saw the space in front of me go up in flames, and I threw myself out through another wall. In like, three seconds, the whole place was reduced to what it is now."

"An inferno…" Fen mused, wondering if it was some crazy anti-burglary feature Scout had installed. "Oh… maybe it was blast seeds? When I used one, it produced a pretty huge flame. If you crashed through the wall, you could've hit a whole box of them, with enough force to break them all, and…" He looked at Ryu's charred body again. "It probably would've done that."

Ryu huffed unhappily. "Scout didn't work that one out. The moment I crawled out of the hut, he jumped on me, absolutely mad, like he wanted to kill me. The 'Rino and Blastoise pulled him away. After that, and given the 'Rino was nearly as burnt as me, we stopped fighting each other. Plus, we'd heard 'mon saying someone had evolved and that the main brawl had stopped, so there was no point."

"Did everything in our bag survive?"

"Sure, it wasn't set alight, but…" Ryu looked at the floor shamefully. "All that's inside is normal food and a ton of poké that can't buy anything. Hardly worth saving."

Fen knew that was over-dramatic, but it was hard to deny how much of a blow losing Scout's items were. He'd already felt like they were walking into the eye of a storm.

"How'd you evolve then?" Ryu asked abruptly.

Fen quickly explained the fight with the Rhydon. Ryu kept his head down all the while.

"So, you think  _all_  you did was eat the seed?" Ryu said.

"I'm not sure what set it off. The seed certainly did something, but..."

Ryu grumbled something distinctively negative sounding.

"Is something wrong?" Fen asked.

Ryu shook his head, paws balled. "It's just… it's not fair! Why did  _you_ evolve? When I met you, you barely knew how to do an attack, and barely a moon has passed since then, but now… now you're probably stronger than me!"

"Ryu, I don't know how–"

"Oh, you don't know  _anything_!" Ryu said angrily. "That makes it even worse! Like, I could  _tell_  that you were close to evolving. You didn't realise that, huh? When you said your attacks were tiring you too quickly, and I saw you scratching your fur after every fight… those were clear signs. Not that I've ever had them…"

"You knew I was close?" Fen said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Who knows. I guess part of me didn't want to believe it was true. It didn't make sense, given how little experience you'd had..."

Fen almost started reassuring him, but then changed his mind. He stopped walking and grabbed Ryu's shoulder. "Ryu, you need to drop this."

Ryu pulled himself away from the grip just as fast. "Drop what?" he snapped back.

"This stupid obsession you have with evolving! Do you realise how meaningless it sounds right now? With the danger we're in? What's at stake?"

"Hmph," Ryu muttered. "Dropping it isn't that simple..."

"Really? Sounds simple to me."

"No, it's not!" Ryu cried. "You don't understand! I wish I  _didn't_ have to worry about it!"

The sudden hurt in his voice made Fen pause. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I know this mindset of wanting to evolve so badly is stupid. So many things I've done are stupid! But I've thought like this for so long… even if sometimes I  _want_ to let it go… I can't. I feel like, I dunno, I'd lose a part of myself…"

"But – Ryu, didn't you want to evolve so you wouldn't be scared of Ghosts?"

"That was one reason."

"And didn't you fight off a whole swarm of Ghosts just a few days ago?"

"Don't over-exaggerate," Ryu said, shaking his head. "No, turns out fears don't disappear that easily. I still have nightmares about them. Had them since the first ones we saw. I'm not even sure evolving would change that."

Fen was struggling for a response.

"But here I am, getting angry about this again," Ryu continued, his mood shifting once more. "If I just knew how to  _do it_ , everything would be so much simpler… I'm sorry, I shouldn't be like this…"

"Ryu," Fen said carefully, "have you ever considered that the key to evolving might involve  _not_ thinking so much about it?"

Ryu opened his mouth to snap a quick response, then paused. "No, but–"

"I'm not saying that that's  _all_  you have to do. But maybe by just focusing on things not linked to evolving, the real answer will… come naturally, somehow?"

Ryu thought. "It doesn't feel likely… but I've already done everything that I thought was."

Fen was pleasantly surprised at his willingness. "Right. And it gives you a reason to fully concentrate on everything important we've got to do."

"I see," Ryu said, nodding slowly. "I see…"

A slight smile crept across his face. "You're a smart 'mon, Fen," he said wryly. "But fine. I'll try it. Gimme a punch if I ever bring up, uh,  _the topic,_ okay?"

Fen was relieved, but before he could reply there was a rumble of thunder. They both looked at the sky, only now noticing the colour-draining storm clouds that had appeared. Almost simultaneously, Fen began feeling little stinging pricks in his fur; it intensified in a matter of seconds.

He and Ryu looked at each other, but no words were needed. They sprinted through the town, past the faces of confused, anxious Pokémon, past damaged houses that Fen was certain would either flood or fall down if this storm didn't relent. His new tail hung behind, more exposed than any other part of him, so to compensate he pulled it between his legs with one hand, while levering himself forwards with the other. If he wasn't so focused on running, he would've been amazed by his own show of strength.

Faoz was standing to the side of her building's entrance, allowing soaking, shivering 'mon to stream inside. She looked over Fen's new self and Ryu's charred fur with disbelief as they neared.

"Hey, it's still us!" Fen shouted to her above the wind.

She nodded quickly, and beckoned them over. "Did you get everything?"

"No, Scout's shop is finished," Ryu said.

Faoz opened her mouth as if to argue, but Ryu's expression convinced her that it wasn't worth it. "Come inside, then," she said.

As Fen was about to follow her through the entrance, he heard Ryu yelp. All he saw before being hit was a pair of green vines wrap around Ryu's shoulders, which propelled their owner forwards like a slingshot. It crashed into Fen, knocking him off his feet. As he wiped his eyes from the sodden grass, he saw a familiar turquoise-green creature standing over him.

"Savi," Ryu muttered opposite, picking himself up. "What in the bloody name of…"

"It  _is_ you!" Savi exclaimed joyously. "Sorry, I just caught a sight of you and – wow, when did you make it back? Fen, I can't believe–"

"This isn't the time, Savi!" Fen shouted at him.

"Right, sorry! I meant, have you learnt anything? About the natural disasters?"

For a moment, Fen stared at him.  _How the hell could he have known we were–_

Then he remembered. Savi was the only 'mon other than Faoz who'd known about their plans to find an Absol, but he'd backed out of them. Fen looked at Ryu and Faoz for help, but neither gave him any signal on what to do. Should he tell Savi what they were planning? Should he save time and just tell the Ivysaur to leave them alone?

In the lashing rain, he made a quick compromise.

"Savi, let's talk indoors."

The four of them, dripping with rainwater, navigated through Faoz's heaving main room – which itself was forming a surface layer – towards the door at the back. There was a sign pinned up with inked writing that Fen assumed to be the equivalent of a "KEEP OUT".

"Shake yourselves as much as you want," Faoz said as they walked inside. Things weren't much more secure here, with her open window – it was essentially a hole in the hall – letting freezing air and a small puddle of water through. Zephia was in the centre of the room, and blinked a couple of times when she saw Fen and Ryu's different appearances. She seemed far more interested in Savi after them, though; and when Savi looked at her, he froze.

"Wait a minute," Savi said, his vines creeping out from his bud. "Aren't you… that 'mon who attacked Fen in the street? Taluk was looking all over for you!"

"Huh?" Zephia said tiredly. "Oh, I was trying to remember... Yeah, I disguised myself as you to isolate Fen."

Savi's vines burst out outwards. "What… who even–!"

"Savi, she's not an enemy!" Fen said hastily, grabbing one of the vines. "This is Zephia. She can make herself look like other Pokémon. Don't ask how. The point is, we've resolved our differences and are working together now."

Savi looked between the two of them like he needed further convincing. Zephia's face showed only dislike. Fen noted how she'd never done an illusion for demonstration, even in a case like this when it would've been helpful.  _Then again, that might qualify as something fun, which I'm pretty sure she's immune to..._

"Look Savi, we don't have all day," Faoz barked. "You can return your vines or get out of here."

Wordlessly, looking slightly ashamed, Savi took the first option.

"So, you two got nothing from Scout?" Faoz asked Fen and Ryu.

"Yep," Ryu confirmed miserably. "The whole place went bust. Seed explosion is what Fen guessed…"

"We did get food and water, though," Fen hastened to add.

Faoz made a snort of amusement. "Seed explosion... It's not what I hoped for, but I was prepared for the worst, so..."

She hesitated, eyes drawn to Savi. "Fen, if he's not coming with us, he can't see what I'm about to do. Decide whether he is or not."

 _'Why me?!'_ Fen wanted to protest. He did grudgingly understand: he was the one with the 'Psychic abilities', as Faoz called it, and he knew more about the human world than anyone else. He was surely, despite hating the title, their 'team leader' for this journey.

"Is Shaice able to carry five of us?" he asked.

"Weight counts far more than just numbers," Faoz said. "But he should manage. Weather will be a greater threat."

"Did you and Zephia work out where we need to go?"

"We think we know where I landed," Zephia spoke up. "Once we're there, I can work out what direction I flew in from."

"Okay." Fen turned to Savi. "I'm about to tell you everything we know. If, after hearing this, you still agree to go along with us, there'll be no turning back. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Savi said at once.

As quickly as he could, Fen told Savi about himself, what they'd learned and what their plans were now. Savi's face was fixed in a state of shock for almost the whole explanation. Fen looked at him expectantly when he'd finished, but it took him a few seconds to open his mouth.

"I… I don't know what to say… I mean, I had no idea–"

"I know, Savi," Fen said wearily. "Are you still with us, though?"

"I… uh… yes! Of course I am!" Savi said, regaining his composure. "I'd do anything to stop these disasters! That's why I was looking for you in the first place!"

Fen was surprised by his change of attitude; even if the disasters were now clearly a problem, he'd been quick to withdraw himself before.

Faoz spoke. "The Electrics are still unwell, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Savi said, quieter. "That's… why I want to help." He turned to Fen and Ryu's puzzled faces. "You guys remember Lucxa?"

"The Luxio?" Fen said.

Savi nodded. "He's really unwell. It's the earthquakes… actually no, more the general earth  _tremors._ Electrics can feel them more intensely than any other 'mon. Lucxa took a few days to get over the first earthquake, but he never seemed quite… stable. I thought he would eventually get better… but when the second earthquake hit, wrecking half the town with it, he was hurt so badly… and even now he's a shell of himself, acting terrified. He keeps telling me that more quakes are imminent. Hearing what you're saying, Fen, it all makes sense."

"It's been the same with all pure Electrics," Faoz said to them. "Even 'mon like Taluk, the Electabuzz chief, can hardly function right now. That's partially why the security here has turned to such shit."

Just then, a particularly strong gust of wind blew in and the room seemed to jerk left. Faoz glanced at the window, then the growing puddle underneath.

"I think that, with this storm, it'll be safer to sleep outside. We have shelter!" she added, when Fen was about to protest. "Yes, that would definitely be safer. We'll head over once we're done here."

Again, Faoz seemed so certain about her belief that Fen couldn't bring himself to debate it.

"If we're all definitely on board," Faoz continued, "then I can show you  _this._ " She pointed to the chest. Deflating her yellow sac again and retrieving the key, she stuck it into the locked box and threw the lid open.

"Oh, these are useless," she muttered, chucking aside a scatter of papers that looked to have map sketches on. For a moment, she peered at the chest's remainders like it was the first time she'd seen inside. Then her paws got to work, pulling out any object she could find.

"One day, Shaice and I set off to explore everything on this island – that's what created the map you have," she explained quickly. "On that journey, we found a few valuable things, which after some passing around ended up in this chest – there was no need to sell, and I had no other use for them. At least they've got a use now."

As the chest was emptied, Fen's eyes were drawn to a dense, frozen block. It was covered with small icicles, and he could just make out bright colours at its centre. While he wondered what on earth the block could be, Faoz pointed to it.

"Fen, melt this for me."

Fen did as she asked. Concentrating a small amount of fire on the block, he soon had to skitter away from the freezing water that slid off.

Faoz waved for him to stop, then broke apart what was left of the ice. A clump of yellow objects were stuck together at its centre. She glanced at the rest of the scattered items. "I  _thought_ I had more than this, but it'll do. You two," she said to Fen and Ryu, "give me a bag that isn't full."

"H-hold on Faoz!" Ryu exclaimed. "What is all this? Why were those berries frozen? How have you…"

"They're sitrus berries," she said. "I'd been freezing them because they're too valuable to rot. Got twice the healing capacities of orans, and can heal conditions better than lums." She looked around the floor and piled a multicolour of seeds together. "We've got a sleep, stun, quick and blast here. I assume you know what all of those do."

Then she gathered up three scarves and pointed to each in turn. "This one helps you evade attacks, but makes you more vulnerable to any that hit; this one makes your attacks hit harder, but slows you down in the process; this one gives you great endurance, but reduces your…" She paused. "...thinking speed, I believe… anyway, obviously don't use a scarf for longer than you need, and if you do use one, you  _must_  know what you're doing. They're dangerous items. Bag?"

Fen took Ryu's bag off his shoulders and passed it over. Faoz peered inside. "We should get rid of anything you don't need," she said, taking out their map, then the empty pouches that had contained berries and seeds. "These might be useful for sorting items," she muttered, placing them to one side. She pulled out the waterproof skin. "What was this for?"

"It keeps me dry in the rain, and is warm," Fen said. Then a wave of panic hit him. "Well, it  _did_ do that… I suppose it wouldn't fit me now…"

"Yeah. I see." Faoz looked at it again. "I'm not sure it's worth keeping in that case. As you said, it won't be much use."

"B-but, I mean, if it rains, and we don't have cover–"

"What are you asking me for? Look, no Fire has ever died because of a  _little rain_. And you'll certainly be more resistant to it now you've evolved."

 _It hurt pretty badly when I was outside..._ Fen thought miserably. But this was an argument he was destined to lose. "Fine. Let's get rid of it."

Faoz pulled out a fist-sized pebble. "What about this?"

"That's mine," Ryu said quickly. "I need it. Please."

Faoz looked at it again, but before she could answer something creaked – thankfully it was only the door. A small Buizel crept inside the room. She had looked worried, but her eyes lit up with anger when she saw Faoz.

"Buin!" Faoz exclaimed. "I… I was going to tell you–"

"But you didn't, did you mum?" Buin shouted back. "Just like you didn't tell me you'd disappear for  _four days_!"

Faoz suddenly seemed panicked, glancing around the room. "I didn't think I'd be gone for–" she began.

"But why couldn't you tell me? Oh, I know why – you don't tell me  _anything_!" There was both anger and tears in Buin's eyes. "Do you… do you even realise that I'm here? It's bad enough only seeing Shai like,  _never_ … may as well not have any parents…"

"Buin, you know why Shai can't live with us–"

"Well, why can't we live in the highlands then?"

"Because, like I told you, we _…_ " Faoz suddenly turned to their awkwardly-stood group again. "All of you, go," she said, voice strained. "I'll catch up. Now! Get out!"

Fen hardly needed an excuse. Zephia led them towards the window.

"We know the way," Ryu said to Fen and Savi, as they did their best to ignore what was behind them. "Shaice is really close. You shouldn't get too wet." Then he jumped out after Zephia.

"Who's Shaice?" Savi muttered.

"A Salamence."

"Huh." Savi sounded slightly dazed. "Of course it is…"

At the window, a gust of wind hit Fen so strongly that he was pushed back indoors, as if telling him how bad an idea this was. But at the second attempt, he forced his body off the ledge.

He cried out at the explosion of pain that hit him, landing in waist high, soaking grass. With the sky already dark, the rain was blinding. Luckily ahead of him, Ryu briefly made his paw glow so he and Savi could follow.

He couldn't tell what kind of environment this was, nor did he care much. They struggled across uneven terrain for a couple of minutes before reaching a hillock. He could see the dim silhouette of Shaice inside its C-shaped indent; though he was lying down, the Dragon had to angle his tail backwards to keep it protected.

Once he'd dried himself under the shelter, Fen's next priority was to talk to Shaice, now he finally had the chance. He had so much to thank him for; saving them from the Weavile, flying them all the way back from Glyciak, and now agreeing to take on a much more significant flight. Savi was standing a distance from the Dragon, just staring in awe, while Ryu was explaining something to him.

As he walked towards Shaice, Zephia called out nearby. "I wouldn't do that."

The source of this advice was more surprising than the words themselves. Fen stopped and turned to her. "Why?"

"He's… not very sociable… and it'd be even worse with you. He's also asleep."

Shaice's head was lying so only one eye was visible from Fen's position, but moving his tail closer confirmed that it was closed. "Okay, fair enough. But what do you mean, not sociable?"

"Faoz told us that Dragons are usually kept reserved to their own kind. They don't move out of their habitat, and so don't converse with other types."

Fen nodded.  _Reasonable, given how big they are._ "They're like Darks, then?"

Zephia frowned. "Similar, maybe. But for example: on the way back from Glyciak, Ryu was asking Shaice a lot of questions. He wouldn't answer directly; Faoz had to ask and relay what Ryu said, and even then there were parts that Shaice just refused to address."

"Okay… so, why would he be worse with me?"

Zephia sighed. "Think about how Faoz reacted when you told her you used to be a human. Remember her story about Kyunn? She said she got it from some other Dragons. So…"

"Ah… Shaice sees me in a similar way?"

"A worse way. Whereas Faoz trusts you, despite who you are, I don't think Shaice does. His views were pretty strong. He didn't want to fly you because of who you were. Plus he didn't approve of how we plan to find the route across, given how unknown the journey will be; and, of course, where we're planning to go. It's amazing that Faoz could convince him of  _anything,_ but she managed it."

"Huh…" Fen was lost in thought for a second. "Hold on though. How come Faoz can speak to him, and convince him of so much? She's not a Dragon either."

"Just… work it out," Zephia muttered. "Think, what was Faoz talking about  _just now_?"

"Well, Buin wanted to see her father more, but he lived in the highlands or something, and…"

It suddenly dawned on him. "Shaice and her… but, wait, how can–?"

"I don't know," Zephia shrugged. "It's unusual, I agree. Maybe you could ask her if you're so interested."

Strange as their relationship seemed, what Fen could conclude was that they were really,  _really_ lucky to have Faoz with them. This was on top of all those items she'd kept hidden...

Zephia had moved away from him slightly now, her attention on the darkness outside their hillock.

"Zephia?" he asked.

She turned her head wearily.

"How are you… how are you feeling about this? Going back to Hoenn?"

Zephia, in a rare occasion, considered the question for a while.

"I'm glad I have the chance," she said. "But I don't know if I'm still being searched for by humans, so I'll have to be careful. I'll keep illusions up wherever possible."

Fen nodded. "I understand. As long as we know what you look like…"

"Yeah. Also… just  _going_  there doesn't mean much yet, since neither of us know where my parents are.  _But,_ " she added, "I haven't forgotten your part of the deal. And that comes first for now."

"I'd hope so, since that part's a pretty big thing."

"Mm," Zephia muttered, turning back to the darkness. Fen could see Faoz-like silhouette in the distance.

Her clear reluctance to keep talking almost made Fen hold back, but he couldn't turn down the chance.

"Zephia, what you did in Glyciak, with the Weavile, while I was in that state…"

"I did what was needed," she interrupted. "That's all it was."

It was exactly the dismissal Fen expected, but he was still disappointed. He sighed. "I appreciated it, that's all."

Faoz trudged in shortly afterwards, head held low, with both bags on her shoulders. Up until now, Fen had never seen her look remotely miserable. Even in those desperate times at Glyciak, she'd been as hopeful and energetic as one could imagine.

"Faoz? You alright?" Savi said.

"Do me a favour and don't ask, please," she muttered, heading straight over to Shaice. She nudged his head, and his visible eye narrowly opened. They exchanged whispers for a short time – Fen was surprised that Shaice could make his voice so quiet. Then Faoz moved away, and the Dragon's whole body shifted so his wing closest to the bank could be lifted into the air.

"Climb in here and lie down," she said to the rest of them. "It's the warmest place there is."

None of them saw reason to argue, so they squeezed into the small space vacated by the wing. The wing lowered so that its curved, far edge leant against the bank, but the rest of it was raised enough to not fall onto the four of them. Fen saw what Faoz meant; the bank on one side, Shaice's body on the other, and his wing all around shielded them almost entirely from the howling wind. Plus, the 'mon seemed to exude heat, despite not being a fire-type.  _Though being able to breathe it must help…_

"Sleep well, and we'll set off in the morning," Faoz murmured from outside the wing. "Any questions… ask them tomorrow. That's all."

There were a few footsteps, then silence.

* * *

Fen had trouble sleeping. Though they were cramped under the wing, it wasn't due to discomfort; having a tail allowed him to curl his whole body around its flame, keeping him warm. The problem, unusually, was that didn't feel tired enough. He'd been exhausted before eating the violent seed, but the combination of that and evolving seemed to have completely cured him. It felt like a double-edged sword.

Then, when he finally got to sleep, it felt like only seconds before Shaice lifted his wing and Faoz shouted him awake. It was the crack of dawn; her early-morning guild schedule hadn't been spared on them. The storm had passed, and the morning sky was clear, searingly hot, though none of them could complain. They didn't give Sanguin Town a backwards glance.

Their plan – fly to a place called Corsa Bay, whereupon Zephia could work out the rough direction to go towards Hoenn – was reviewed with everyone. Once it was confirmed, Faoz set about organising how they would all fit on Shaice. The Dragon first got onto a higher area of land, then made himself flat against the floor so they could climb up. With numerous pieces of rope, Faoz then tied Fen, Ryu and Savi close together on his wide, scaly back, so their legs and core were completely immobile.

Zephia was the last to be tied, around the middle of Shaice's neck; this was so she could easily give orders to Faoz about directions. Faoz sat just above Zephia, but with no one left to secure her, she used the three fins on either side of Shaice's head to her advantage. Her arms held onto the top two like handlebars, while her stubby legs slid under the middle fins and rested securely on the lower ones. Finally, she tied one bag around Ryu and put her own on her back.

When everyone was ready, Shaice stepped off the edge of the hill. One beat of his immense wings took them several feet into the air, and several feet further forwards.

For a while, all Fen's worries were cast aside as he absorbed the experience of the flight. They were sailing among the clouds in a matter of minutes, and he simply watched Shaice's flat, almost-stationary wings, in awe at how effortlessly they worked. Ryu took great pleasure in his reaction, as Fen wondered how many people – humans or Pokémon included – had been able to ride a Salamence at all. It couldn't be many.

Unfortunately, the 'mon alongside them wasn't enjoying things so much. The signs were there in Savi's initial hesitance to climb onto Shaice, but it became obvious once they took off; he buried his head into Shaice's body, eyes closed.

"Sorry," he said when they asked how he was. Every word had to be spoken loudly above the wind. "I'm not gonna say that flying would've influenced my decision to come… but I didn't realise it was the only option until we got here…"

In days gone by Fen may have left him be, but he already felt nervous enough taking Savi with them; he didn't want things to start this badly. "Is there anything that would help you, say, take your mind off things? Is talking right now helping?"

"Maybe… a little," Savi said. "Yeah… hey, you never explained much of what happened in those days you were away. Did you really walk all the way to Glyciak...?"

And so, Fen and Ryu spent the next few hours explaining, often in minute detail, their recent experiences. It was a relief that Savi shared much the same opinions on his humanity as Ryu had told him. In fact, Fen's moments of confusion with his body that he'd often found himself having were what Savi enjoyed hearing about the most. He also seemed quite shocked at the amount of danger they'd both come through, but Fen wasn't surprised; he felt the same when he considered it.

It took a couple of hours for them to land at Corsa Bay, where Zephia reoriented them. After that, they were flying only across the ocean. The blue, sun-tinted water stretched so emphatically in all directions that it soon felt like they weren't moving at all. This continued past sunset; with nowhere close to stop, Faoz gave Shaice a couple of sitrus berries to sustain his energy. Fen sensed discontent beginning to spread. There was no way that Zephia would intentionally misguide them, but if her directions  _were_  wrong, they'd be hopelessly lost at sea.

He was starting to believe it too, when a glimmer of light appeared ahead, and all six of them exclaimed at once. Shaice's wings swung with a renewed vigour as they got a better look. Even in the darkness, Fen could tell that the landmass ahead was huge, spiked with areas of light. They were surely looking at Hoenn.

"Hey!" Zephia turned around to him, shouting over the wind. "Any idea where we land? The places with light will have humans in, right?"

"Uh… yeah!" he replied, jogging his memory. Towns or cities would always have some light around, whether that was from cars, street lights or 24-hour shops. A combination of their low altitude and lack of daylight meant he couldn't see past the area of Hoenn closest to the sea. But… where  _was_  the light? There were specks in the great distance, but… were they just flying over a very rural area?

"Fly a little further," he said. "I can't see any towns near the coast here."

Their lack of light was the first thing to go wrong. The second came a few minutes later, just as they were passing over the edge of Hoenn.

It started when they heard two simultaneous cries that, despite being a distance from them, were so raw and earthly that Fen held his breath at the sound. Then Savi was yelling something and pointing with both vines; looking down, Fen saw two vast figures, red and blue. Despite the blinding light they radiated, their features appeared perfectly clear in his vision. He saw every enormous red plate covering Groudon's body, every white scale on Kyogre's mostly-blue exterior. Sections of their bodies glowed with a yellow energy that he could feel all the way from Shaice's height.

They were both in the sea, but Groudon appeared to be on a chunk of blackened land just big enough for it to stand. Kyogre disappeared for a second, then it made another cry, and a tsunami of water rose up from the previously calm waves, smothering the red light it aimed for.

A bolt of lightning struck mere metres in front of them, making Shaice lose control of his wing. Before he could rebalance, the wind picked up so strongly that the wings were pushed behind him, and they swerved sharply downwards.

As the Dragon hurtled around in the storm, Fen risked a glance through the cascading rain. The two figures in the sea had disappeared, and the water blinded him before he could look further. He wanted to cry out, but the force of water hitting him froze his muscles still.

He hadn't realised they were falling until there was a  _crack,_ and Shaice recoiled so sharply that he was scared his bound limbs would dislocate _._ He saw Shaice's near wing fold in response to a tree, and without it they plummeted almost vertically before crashing into the ground, via another couple of trees hitting the Dragon's flanks.

Shaice's body went still. Still tied down, Fen could only hope that he was okay. Even if his limbs were free, he wouldn't have been able to move. He tried breathing for a few moments.

Faoz appeared quickly, allaying his fears that she had fallen off and left them stuck on Shaice's back for eternity. Once she untied his ropes he immediately tried moving his legs, but they barely responded.

"Take my paw," Faoz said firmly, holding it in front of him. Before Fen did, he jerked his head meaningfully towards Shaice.

"He'll be fine," Faoz said. "Don't worry about him."

Using Faoz's paws, Fen slid with her off Shaice's back. The Dragon's left wing had been sandwiched between three trees, and was twisted on its side, the tip pointing upwards. Though it only offered scant cover, Zephia was already underneath it, and she looked just as shaken as Fen felt.

"I'll get the others. Wait here," Faoz ordered. She looked remarkably well, compared with how he felt.

Fen pressed himself against the wing, avoiding as much rain as he could. He tried using his tail flame to see in a semi-circular radius, but it was too small. Then, a strange thought occurred to him. He had control of the muscles in his tail – why couldn't he control its flame, too? If he just focused on making the flame larger…

Despite his hesitancy, and the strain on his limited energy, it worked immediately. The flame rose as long as the tail itself, as wide as his head. He poked his head out and saw that the ground just past Shaice's tail fell off completely. They must be at the edge of the cliff they'd approached.

All around them were trees, so tightly packed that it seemed a wonder that Shaice had managed to land at all. The ground was sodden but not flooded, to his relief.

 _At the very least,_ he thought.  _We've landed. We've made it to Hoenn in one piece._ Given how they'd arrived, that felt almost worth celebrating.

Ryu, Savi and Faoz had crowded with him and Zephia by this time, and he relayed his limited information to them.

"Is Shaice okay?" Ryu asked. "I-I know he's breathing, but…"

"Yes he's okay, but he's injured and very tired," Faoz said. "He can't unfold his other wing, and this one is stuck until it's cleared from the trees. Does anyone have an idea where we are?"

"I don't think we're near any kind of town…" Fen said uncertainly. "Do you know, Zephia?"

"I've been in a lot of forests like this," she said. "And I hardly know Hoenn's geography anyway. I'm no better than you."

Fen nodded. "We won't find much out here, so… I think we should wait for the storm to die down, then move off."

"Are you sure we should wait?" Faoz questioned. "This storm looks like it'll last a while."

"Could we at least find a proper cover?" Fen snapped. He was struggling to keep his shaking body still. "You may be right, Faoz, but I can hardly see a thing, and even if you can, we have  _no idea_ what's out here. I don't want to take that chance."

"It's pretty important that you don't die," Zephia added, "so I'm willing to agree with that."

"Me too," Ryu said.

"Alright, fine," Faoz said. She glanced around Shaice's bent wing. "Well, we don't need to find a cover. Breaking off the tree trunks that Shai's wings are stuck against would do the trick. You two Fighters will be best at that," she said, nodding to Fen and Ryu.

"It'd be difficult for either of us to break trees with our bare paws," Ryu argued. "Maybe Savi could help us? His vines are pretty strong. If they wrapped around one side, while we punched the other…?"

They turned to Savi for confirmation, but found him lying low on his front, the flattened leaves on his back covering as much of his quivering body as possible. His face remained visible, and his eyes opened wide and fearful at the question.

"I… I can't go out there," he gasped. "What's just happened… those legendaries… I wasn't ready…"


	18. The Meteorologist

No one spoke for a second. Then without warning, Zephia leapt forwards and yanked Savi’s head up to her own.

“Listen to me, you useless plant,” she hissed. “You have two choices here. One, you pull your fucking leaves together, do what you’re asked, and help us build shelter. The other is that you keep crying, help no one, and increase our chances of dying. Which sounds better to you?”

“Zephia, get off him!” Fen cried, panicked.

Zephia scowled, but released her paw. Savi skittered back immediately, shaking even more than before. “You try him, then,” Zephia said.

That was all Fen could do. “Savi… I know this is dangerous, and we can’t turn back now. But I know you’re strong, because you fought off that forest of Ghosts nearly single-handedly, right? You can handle this, without a doubt.”

Savi seemed unable to respond, and Zephia grabbed him by the leg this time.

“Quit behaving like a scared hatchling!” she said. “Haven’t you evolved before? You must have done _something_ to make that possible! Now’s the time to show it, you coward!”

“A-ALRIGHT!” Savi finally shouted back at her. “I’ll help! Just… please let go of me!”

Zephia did so, and Savi raised his head to them.

“I’m s-sorry… I’m just struggling to take this in… I really hate being in the air, and when we fell, I-I thought we’d all die... I was so scared…”

“Savi, we’re all scared here,” Ryu said. “…Or most of us, anyway. But when you are, I’ve found the best way to get over it is to do stuff that’ll make you safer. Yeah? So… d’you think you can help us clear the trees? It’ll be really easy.”

Savi very slowly got onto four legs. “Of course I’ll help,” he murmured. “Shouldn’t be here otherwise…”

As they left the wing shelter, Fen met Zephia’s eye and gave her a small nod of thanks. She returned nothing.

Clearing the trees was indeed straightforward thanks to the thinness of their trunks. Savi wrapped his vines around one side of the trunk and pulled, while Ryu and Fen threw kicks and punches at the other end. Once the three trees around Shaice were cleared, Faoz managed to coax the injured Dragon into stretching his wing over their stumps.

“Before we sleep,” Savi said tentatively as they settled down, “should someone keep a watch? I know it’s not convenient, but as we don’t know what’s out here, I think at least one of us should be alert...”

“I suppose we could…” Ryu said. “But I mean, would anyone want to–?”

“I’ll do it,” Zephia said at once. Ryu looked at her, astonished.

“What?” she snapped. “I hardly sleep anyway. And I don’t think we’re too far from dawn. It’s nothing.”

“Uh… okay then,” Ryu said. “Thanks.”

“You’ll need at least a _little_ sleep, Zephia,” Faoz said. “I can take over when it’s halfway to dawn.”

Zephia shrugged. “Fine. I’ll wake you when needed.”

The others thanked them both, which of course Zephia didn’t acknowledge. But as Fen lay under the wing, he reflected that, as unstable as her behaviour could be, he probably valued her presence more than anyone here, other than Ryu.

_I say unstable, but… the Savi episode aside, she’s been getting more cooperative recently. She didn’t have to warn me about speaking to Shaice, for example, but she still did. And now volunteering to take watch. Is she maybe… getting nicer?_

Those were his last thoughts before drifting out of consciousness. But it seemed mere moments later that images flashed through his mind.

He’d had dreams before as a Pokémon, but they were just that – random sequences from his unconscious that were usually forgotten, and even those he remembered were too bizarre to mean anything. This one was different, though. It threw images at him like a rabid Vigoroth, and he was powerless to resist.

It started as something foggy but the picture soon cleared, and when it had he knew exactly what he was seeing.

He was in the same place as his previous vision. Groudon and Kyogre fighting, decimating the areas beneath them, people screaming, running away…

The terror that gripped him made his dream-self want to flee, escape back to the real world where this wasn’t happening. But he couldn’t leave…

Someone grabbed his shoulder. They were shouting at him, but he couldn’t make out the words, and he didn’t have time to listen. He was running, and there was something important here, he couldn’t leave, he needed to–

Pain hit him so strongly that the images shattered, like panes of broken glass. He screamed, in which world he wasn’t sure, then… then he was in darkness again. He grabbed the closer tree stump and wrapped around it to stop his body from shaking. He forced himself to listen to the rain pounding against Shaice’s wing. They were safe here.

He hadn’t had an emotion attack since he and Ryu were at Ractyl’s Belt. He’d assumed that, for some reason, they had stopped entirely. But now those feelings of fear, anxiety and urgency were stronger than ever, and it was what he’d _seen_ that stood this one apart, and what worried him so much. Why was it this exact same vision again? Why did it hurt so much to think about?

“You had a nightmare?” a tired voice said. It was Zephia, with one eye turned to him while she gazed into the darkness.

“Sort of,” Fen murmured. “It was like a vision. The same thing I saw in Darkrai’s Knot... I don’t understand it.”

“Hmm.” He saw the corner of her mouth twitch into a frown. “Shame you can’t figure out what it all means.”

“It is,” he said, while bathing in as much of his tail’s heat as possible. Then he realised that lighting up their location wasn’t the best idea, so turned it down again.

_Hopefully we’ll find out before it’s too late._

* * *

Faoz woke them early next morning. The rain had apparently stopped just as the sun rose, being replaced with a humid heat. It did allow them to check their surroundings properly, but the brightened trees showed a depressing sight. If their wilted branches weren’t bad enough, the sheer lack of anything growing suggested that the woodland wouldn’t be harvesting anytime soon.

They started heading away from the coastline. Unwilling and unable to fly, Shaice stomped alongside them, slowing their pace. Fen hadn’t had high hopes for finding anything, so it was a great surprise when they stumbled across a clearing, overlooking something which – well, it looked to have once _resembled_ a town. Now, there seemed to be so many things wrong with the sight that Fen struggled to take it all in.

The side of town closest to them at least showed signs of life. There were houses, parked cars, roads and shrubbery, though it looked decayed and uncomfortably reminiscent of Sanguin Town. On his right, the town narrowed into a single path that dipped out of sight towards a river and bridge. But to the left of the town… he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

Where the town should’ve continued, there was nothing – only a grey layer of a sludge-like substance. Even stranger, a grey haze quickly blocked his vision beyond the sludge.

After asking Faoz’s permission, he climbed on Shaice’s back to get a better view, but the haze was just as persistent higher up. Stepping off, he addressed the four Pokémon’s hopeful looks as best he could.

“I’m not sure what town this is,” he said, “but I’m sure that it shouldn’t look like this left side.”

They climbed on Shaice in turn, but no one had an inkling of what had happened. “What do you suggest?” Faoz asked Fen.

“Well, the most likely way of finding information is to go into the town and look around.”

“I thought you said we need to be careful around these places,” Faoz said.

“We _should_ be careful. But I can’t see a single human or Pokémon out here right now.”

“This isn’t right,” Zephia agreed. “We should go in.” The air between her and Fen shimmered slightly, then he was suddenly looking at a brown-and-cream furred Pokémon with long, pointy ears. “Like I told you, I’m not taking any chances,” Zephia added at his look. Her eyes remained turquoise, and the Eevee’s face retained her typical scowl.

Fen took a step forward then paused. “Uh… Faoz, I don’t think Shaice should come with us, given his size.” He wished he felt confident speaking to the Dragon directly.

Faoz nodded, and exchanged a few words with Shaice. “That’s fine, he could do with a rest. I suppose he can stay here?”

“I guess so,” Fen said. Once Faoz confirmed with Shaice, the five of them started towards the town.

It got mistier the further they descended, and Fen picked up a very distinct scent: ash, just like the air around Arkan. They stepped through flattened brown grass before reaching a very large building, standing on its own at the edge of the town.

Its white exterior and circular, red roof – which Fen had to stand back to see properly, given its height – might have looked impressive some time ago, but now it was cracked and the colours faded. He could see the outlines of windows dotted around, but each one was covered with what looked like cardboard. It seemed designed to block outsiders from looking in. They walked around the outside, and something caught Ryu’s attention as they neared the front.

“What’s this?” he said, pointing at an inscription to the left of a set of glass doors. Fen read the bold words out. “Fallarbor Pokémon Centre.” He repeated them to himself. _Fallarbor…_

“This must be Fallarbor Town, then,” he murmured. The name was familiar, but it triggered nothing else in his mind… at least it was a checkmark on his blank map of Hoenn. Could he have lived here? Surely he would’ve remembered more… but how could he know?

“Uh… Fen?” Ryu said, interrupting his train of thought. “What did you… you just read that thing?”

“What do you mean?” Fen frowned. “Of course I read it. It’s…”

Then he realised. “Oh. This is in English – human language.”

“What the hell… that’s a language? It looks like… dunno, load of gibberish to me…”

“You can understand this language, Fen?” Faoz said.

“Looks like it. Seeing as I don’t understand your written language, it makes sense that I still know the human one.” Fen’s eyes brightened. “Everyone, remember what these letters look like. If you come across signs, or maps, or anything like that in this language, tell me, because it could be… very…”

His mind was still pondering the words ‘Pokémon Centre’, and he suddenly remembered.

“That’s it! These places – Pokémon Centres – are like hospitals for Pokémon. If a trainer’s Pokémon got injured fighting they would come here. There should be, like, places you can eat, get rest, there’ll be news of what’s going on, and…”

“Trainer?” Ryu said tentatively. “Didn’t you mention that word before, like… to do with the story about Kyunn? What’s it mean? What’s it got to do with us?”

Fen cursed himself. “It’s to do with the relationship some humans have with… some Pokémon. They… look, this isn’t important now. We can’t be wasting time here; let’s look inside.”  

Ryu looked a little disgruntled but he didn’t complain. Fen made a move towards the door, underneath a small roof, when Zephia called out. “Stop. I can smell humans… they’re in this building.”

Fen hesitated. He wasn’t sure whether to be reassured or panicked that there were some of them around.

“I still think we should go in,” he said. “Look, there’s five of us here. We can defend ourselves, and even make a run for it if necessary. Is that okay with you?”

Zephia pawed at the ground for a few seconds. “You’d better know what you’re doing,” she said eventually.

_You know fully well that I don’t_ , Fen thought ruefully back. No one else argued though, so he stepped up to the door. It was automatic but didn’t open, so he yanked the two sides of glass apart. Either his new form was very strong, or the door was very weak, but they opened regardless.

With all the windows blocked, the room they walked into was very dim. Fen looked for a light switch, but unable to find one increased his tail flame instead. It was a large area, but there was little of note; a block of chairs for people to wait in, signs that were aimed at trainers and of no use to Fen, a reception desk with no one sitting behind. If humans were in this building, he’d seemingly have to go looking for them.

To their right was a dull stone staircase, which signs pointed upwards to ‘Pokémon Care – Main’. Fen led them up very carefully, but at the top there were still no signs of life. A fuse box next to the door was left open, and he pressed what he thought was a light switch, but got nothing.

He walked along the dirtied white floor past hospital rooms. Some doors were shut, others hanging ajar, but the few he looked inside were as dark and desolate as the rest of the building. There was another waiting room at the far end with cosier-looking chairs. It had a switched-off television, a few magazines, plus paper and colouring pencils. Fen checked that the TV was plugged in at the mains, then pressed its power button. Again, no response.

_It looks like there’s no electricity here. But why would people have blocked all the windows if it meant they’d be living in darkness?_

“Are you sure there are humans here, Zephia?” he asked.

“Definitely.”

“In that case…” He checked the sign at a new set of stairs, next to the waiting room. It read ‘Food Court and Special Pokémon Care. Roof – Special Access Only’.

“Looks like they’re on the top floor.”

He briefly turned back to the others. Ryu, Savi and Faoz were all gazing with similar levels of awe at the TV, the thick concrete walls and floor, the human language that was everywhere. Zephia showed no interest for any of this; the way her eyes were fixed on Fen himself made him suspect she was consciously avoiding looking around.

At the top of the final flight of stairs, two huge closed doors stood next to each other, labelling the two locations on the previous sign – Food Court on the left, and Special Pokémon Care on the right. As Fen hesitated, Zephia nodded to the left door. “The scent’s stronger this way,” she said.

Fen nodded. He checked the door handle – locked. This didn’t surprise him in context with the rest of the building, but he couldn’t understand why these people would lock themselves away.

He knocked and got no response. “Hello?” he called out. Still nothing. “We think we can help you, but we need to ask some questions first. Could you let us in, please?”

His ears picked up something on the other side, but the door muffled whatever was being said. It didn’t sound friendly, though. Still no one unlocked the door.

“Can’t you get in?” Ryu said.

“It needs opening on the other side.”

Ryu glanced sceptically between him and door, then went up to it and alternated between pushing it and fiddling with the handle. Fen picked up more unfriendly noise.

“Really? I think I can do this,” Ryu said. His paw holding the handle began glowing. “Can’t be _that_ tough...”

“Wait, don’t–!” Zephia began.

But as she cried out, Ryu slammed the handle downwards and kicked the door with both feet. The moment the door flew open, leaving one side unhinged, and Ryu landed in the open doorway, a circular, palm-sized object came flying out of the darkness. It was too sudden for him to avoid.

But rather than the sphere bouncing off Ryu’s body, it latched onto him like glue. Then in an instant, his body turned white and shrunk, losing all its shape, until it had been completely absorbed by the sphere’s open side, which clicked shut as he vanished.

Fen’s vision flickered; he nearly collapsed in shock. _No, no, no… he can’t be… they didn’t–!_

Then the ball opened again, white light burst out and it broke it two, the pieces smashing into opposite walls. Ryu was restored, but on his knees now. He was panting, shaking feverishly, unable to speak. He turned to Fen with a look of complete terror.

_“GRRAAAA!”_

Zephia suddenly ran past Ryu, towards the crowd of human faces – Fen had only just seen them in the room’s candlelight.

“Zephia, no!” he screamed, lunging at her, but he’d seen her too late, and she was too quick. That was until a pair of vines tripped her back legs; then Fen could only fall helplessly on top of her.

“You… you… arghhhh! Let me go, _let me go_!” She writhed around Fen’s grip, but he had a strength advantage now, and held her firmly. Her illusion had been discarded.

“We can’t attack these people! Use your head, Zephia! They’re the ones we need to talk to! I need them for _you,_ too!”

But she didn’t listen, continuing to wriggle and scream at him. Though Fen didn’t want to knock her out, the option was fast becoming necessary before someone padded behind him.

“Fen,” Faoz said simply, holding out a blue seed. Fen had never valued her more than in that moment. He nodded to her, and she broke the sleep seed on Zephia’s fur. A few seconds later, the Zorua stopped struggling and collapsed into his grip.

Fen carefully got off her back, then took the opportunity to finally survey their situation. Faoz and Savi were crouched next to him – he’d have to thank Savi for holding Zephia back – and Ryu was still shaking on all fours. Fen managed to restrain the instinct to hug him for the moment. He brightened his tail and addressed the figures opposite them. He could see a number of faces, all human, but the one crouched furthest forward attracted his attention.

He looked dumbly at the man for some time; something about human faces seemed strangely off to him now. The man’s appearance seemed quite fitting with their surroundings. His light-brown hair was a tangled mess that fell to his shoulders, and his scraggly beard gave the same impression. There were scratches all over his face and arms, and the clothes he wore were ripped. His sharp green eyes, however, weren’t fearful like Fen would’ve expected, but determined. Angry, even.

Fen then realised that shining a flame so close to his face may have contributed to that.

As he shrunk it, the man opened his mouth and barked something at him. And it was only _something_ – Fen wondered if he’d misheard in his state of anxiety, or if these living conditions had simply reduced the man to nonsense talk. Strangely, he could still gather the general meaning of the man’s message. “ _If you try hurting us, we’ll fight back.”_

But Fen shook his head. _I’ve said that we won’t attack! Don’t they understand me?_

“Look,” he began, more assertively, “none of us are going to–”

A couple of people screamed. The man shouted another incomprehensible message, and snatched up a new poké ball in his hand, holding it back in a throwing stance. A woman a few faces back stood up, holding a kitchen knife. Fen was panicking now, and that adrenaline helped him remember a crucial detail.

_Humans and Pokémon speak two different languages! That’s why I can’t understand what they’re saying, and the reverse must also be true. All they hear is me growling… but how do I get around this?_

Quickly, he held his hands up in surrender and retreated a couple of paces. The man seemed taken aback for a moment, but he lowered the poké ball and waved for the women to sit down. Fen held one index finger up, then put both his hands together and looked as pleadingly at the people as possible.

_Give me a moment, please._

When the people did nothing, he half-turned to Faoz and Savi, keeping one eye on their group. “If Zephia wakes up, she’ll attack again,” he whispered to the ‘mon. “I might need to be here for a while, but I don’t want us to knock her out. Any ideas?”

Neither responded immediately. Faoz eventually looked away from the humans in front of them and muttered, “I don’t have any more sleep seeds. The only other option is what you don’t want…”

“Wait, I can produce sleep powder,” Savi said, but then his expression dimmed. “Problem is, that’d send _all_ of you to sleep…”

“But only if we’re in this room, right?” Faoz asked. “If you did it somewhere else, then–”

“Right!” Fen said, delighted with them. “Savi, if you take Zephia somewhere downstairs – since it looks like no humans are around there – you’ll be able to stop her if she wakes up. Could you do that?”

“Uh… yeah…” Savi nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Faoz,” Fen continued. “Remember on the floor below this one, there was a stack of paper with colouring pencils?”

Faoz hesitated. “You mean… those long, thin things?”

“Pencils, yes. I need you to get as much paper as you can carry, and a couple of pencils, and take them back here, okay?”

With that agreed, Fen passed Zephia to Faoz then, with Savi, the three of them hurried out. He turned to Ryu, the only other Pokémon left, who was sitting down. The sheer fear in his face was enough to make Fen flinch in discomfort.

“Fen, what…” he said, “what just… I thought I was dying… I…”

Fen quickly put an arm around him, holding him close but keeping his attention on the people in front. “It’s alright,” he said. “You’re safe now. You wouldn’t have died, even if you hadn’t broken out of the ball.”

“B-but… what _was_ that? It was like… I don’t even know how to describe it… just terrifying…”

Fen wasn’t sure how to console him. Saying that the poké ball only converted his body into a fundamental energy present in every species of Pokémon probably wouldn’t help. Besides, his mind was preoccupied on the plan he’d just conceived, and luckily Faoz came soon afterwards with everything he needed. He thanked her, let go of Ryu, and told them both to stay calm and trust him.

_Now please, please work…_

He set the stack of paper in front of him. Faoz had picked up three pencils; a yellow, red, and – _perfect! –_ a black. He tried gripping the latter between his index finger and thumb, but it slipped out almost immediately, and he scrabbled to stop the pencil rolling away.

He clenched his whole fist around the pencil this time, then heard it crack as he brought it to the page. Too much. He glanced at the people; they looked both bemused and scared by what was happening. He loosened his fingers and tried once more. His handwriting was horrific, and absurdly large, but he eventually got a sentence down. He slid the paper along the floor to the shaggy-haired man. It read, _“I just want to talk. I think we can help you. (Write back.)”_

Faces crowded around the man to see what was written. Many were elderly men and women, or at least beyond their fifties. Fen couldn’t see any children, or even teenagers; he hoped they were merely being kept out of sight for safety. And they’d be _very_ out of sight; the taller humans looked twice his size.

The man finally put his poké ball in a trouser pocket. He discussed more with a small group of people for a few minutes, before finally scrawling something down on the other side of the page. Fen almost groaned when he read it.

_“Who taught you to write English? Who is your trainer?”_

He could already see the route this conversation would take. He had to divert things.

The next message took several minutes and a couple of scrapped papers to get right, but he eventually passed it over, needing two sheets to fit the words in.

_“I taught myself. I’m not like other Pokémon. But that’s not important. The five of us know what’s happened to Hoenn, that Groudon and Kyogre are awake. We came here to stop them. Can you help us?”_

The paper came back.

_“Where did your party come from?”_

_“Why is that important?”_

_“Answer my question. Where did you come from?”_

Fen didn’t understand the obsession with this question, but couldn’t see much harm in disclosing that information. He was desperate to avoid a stalemate in communication.

_“It’s an island across the sea, where only Pokémon live. They call it Kai-un, but I don’t know if it’s got a human name.”_

The man paused for a while before responding.

_“It sounds like Emritia.”_

_Emritia!_ The name was familiar, but Fen could recall little; only that it was, indeed, a wholly Pokémon-populated region.

The man must have noted his reaction, because he wrote again. _“You recognise the name? How so?”_

_This guy would challenge Ryu in a perceptiveness contest,_ Fen thought irritably. Clearly, the man wasn’t going to talk unless he knew his own motives weren’t bad. But how could he convince the man of that except by telling the truth about himself? He sighed. The number of times he’d verbally explained his humanity, amnesia and strange visions at least made it easier to do again in writing.

After passing a long message over, the man deliberated for some time, discussing with his group again. Most of them were shaking their head, some shouted abuse at Fen, but the man asked them patiently to calm down. Fen admired his stillness.

He then asked if Fen had any proof that he was a human; Fen said that reading and writing the language so fluently should be proof enough, but he’d otherwise have to take his word for it. The man agreed, then his next question unexpectedly stumped Fen.

_“What’s your name? Can you remember?”_

He _could_ remember, of course, but only one name; why had he never remembered his surname? How useful that might’ve been now…

_“I only remember my first name, which is Fen.”_

After asking around, the man replied. _“That is not a name any of us are familiar with. However, I can give you mine in return. I am Takao, or Dr Cozmo, Professor of Meteorology. Though such titles are no longer relevant.”_

_“Why? Because you’re hiding up in a Pokémon Centre?”_

_“Precisely.”_ Takao paused for a while before adding, _“Have you encountered any Pokémon since you arrived here?”_

_“No.”_

So Takao informed him that, ever since Groudon and Kyogre had awoken, the behaviour of all Pokémon in Hoenn had changed. Those under the care of trainers or other humans had stopped obeying them. They had escaped poké balls and houses, running anywhere they could that was free of humans. Pokémon that were restrained fought, often viciously, to free themselves. Pokémon too weak to do that just protested until it became clear that looking after them was not viable. That was why Takao wanted to know where Fen’s group had come from; because if it was Hoenn, their behaviour wouldn’t make sense.

This Pokémon behaviour only added to the chaos happening on Hoenn. As soon as Groudon and Kyogre rose, they were clearly too strong to be stopped–

_“Hold on,”_ Fen said. _“What led to them being awoken?”_

Takao started on a new page, writing with much thought. _“It began when a group of deep-sea divers stumbled across an underwater cave, in the ocean just off Mossdeep City. Inside the cave were two gigantic rocks, side by side. The divers took pictures of the rocks, and scientists were baffled; their forms were immaculate, and a colour far darker and lustrous than anything previously seen so deep. After obtaining samples, they were found to be made up almost entirely of an undiscovered element, which had a vast atomic mass. That raised even more questions._

_“It started being speculated that these rocks were the buried remains of Groudon and Kyogre. Though that story was legend, there was no better theory for their supernatural nature. An experiment was run; a diver went down with a Lanturn and asked it to attack the first rock. The Lanturn shot water out of its mouth, but upon touching the rock, the rock responded with a blast of fire, torching the Pokémon and very nearly the diver too. Another Lanturn was used to attack the second rock, but as it fired a bolt of lightning, some kind of underwater wave blasted both the diver and Pokémon out of the cavern. These astounding results only reinforced what was becoming believed.”_

_“If you knew, or believed, that these rocks were Groudon and Kyogre,”_ Fen asked, _“why did you think it would be a good idea to wake them up?”_

_“The scientific authorities, myself included, were foolish. You may be aware of this, but through recent poké ball advancements and the work of very skilled trainers, there is barely a species of Pokémon in existence that we haven’t been able to capture, tame, study, and use to our advantage. Groudon and Kyogre might have been legends, but we still thought they could be used to the same purposes.”_

_“Why did you want to use them?”_

_“To control the weather. Due to its geography, Hoenn’s climate is more erratic than anywhere else in the world; we’ve had seasons of persistent rain, heavy sun or wild storms almost at random. It made tourism, among others things, very difficult to promote. If we had the two weather gods under our control, we could create the perfect climate, and depending on the extent of their power, extend that to the rest of the world._

_“This idea was unanimously agreed on by Hoenn’s government. The next step was to find a way to wake the Pokémon. According to the vague legends we were working off, this could only be done through a power from the stars, which stumped our scientists for a long time. That was until a particularly large meteor fell in Meteor Falls, funnily enough – that’s a few miles from here. This dig, led by myself, had unprecedented funding from the government. The crater was examined. and after tunnelling deeper than perhaps any excavation in history we made the discovery that we’d scarcely believed possible: a fragment with a similar structure to those rocks._

_“We were sure that this was the key. The area of sea with the original rocks was dried out to allow easier access. Then a host of trainers went down with the meteor fragment and had their Pokémon attack it, pouring as much energy into it as possible, hoping this would resonate with the gods. Unfortunately, though the trainers were eventually successful, the success came without any warning. As Groudon and Kyogre woke, the power they immediately expelled ended every life within a couple of acres._

_“There has only been destruction from then on. Little testing was needed to determine that Groudon and Kyogre could not be controlled like we thought. If the weather was unpredictable before, now it is completely out of control. The natural disasters have been devastating. An evacuation to this Centre happened after Mt. Chimney erupted and lava flowed down into the southern parts of town. Much of it was destroyed.”_

So _that_ was what Fen had seen, the remnants of a volcano eruption. The ashy air made perfect sense. He swallowed; Hoenn was in worse shape than he’d feared.

_“Why can’t you leave Hoenn entirely?”_

_“We haven’t been contacted – we can’t, as all communication has been down since the day Groudon and Kyogre woke  – but we think that the weather is too chaotic for other regions to risk losing masses of aircraft or ships. It would essentially be a suicide mission. Hence we’re stranded here until we either die, or the weather somehow calms down. We’re not hopeful on either.”_

Fen had a lot of questions, and if this strange form of communication had any advantage, it was that it gave him time to deliberate. But he was aware of how long they’d already been talking. He didn’t know how Savi was dealing with Zephia, and didn’t want to leave it too long.

_“Do you have any idea how to stop Groudon and Kyogre? Have you, say, thought about finding Rayquaza?”_

A few people scoffed at this, but Takao only shook his head sadly.

_“I don’t know if the scientists in Mossdeep or Mauville have any ideas –_ _I think it’s unlikely – but the only one I have, at least, is what you say, to find Rayquaza. But listen – we’re powerless. Wild Pokémon, ‘ferals’ as we call them now, may be roaming through Fallarbor as we speak, looking for prey. If we go out to them, we’ll die. We have no electricity, no real weapons –_ _a few knives won’t sustain us, and ferals took out what was our puny police force already – and no Pokémon.”_

That at least explained the choice of poké balls as a restraining weapon.

_“You might be powerless,”_ Fen replied, _“but the Pokémon I’m here with aren’t. I’m not expecting you to do the work. Forget about how dangerous it is; if we’re finding Rayquaza, how do you think we could do it?”_

Takao, who had been harbouring an increasingly hopeless expression, seemed to sharpen up at this. _“Meteor Falls, where we uncovered that rare element – there may be fragments of it left there. I don’t know if that would help, but it’s a strange element, and you are Pokémon, so it might react differently to you than it did for us.”_

Fen paused. Desperate as he was for any idea of what they should do, examining a crater for traces of an unknown element felt a pretty fragile plan.

_“Do none of you have any other ideas? Any clues, just anything that would be helpful?”_

Upon reading this, Takao at least raised his voice and appeared to ask the crowd of people for advice. Fen had to listen patiently to the ensuing discussion that meant nothing to him.

Eventually Takao responded. _“No one knows where Rayquaza is –_ _that’s our problem. According to legend it fly in the ozone layer of our planet, but of course no sighting has ever been recorded. The only other place we think might hold something of worth is the cavern with the original rocks. But that’s a long, long way from here, and isn’t somewhere you, as a fire-type, would be able to reach.”_

_And we’d need Shaice to take us there…_ Fen turned to Faoz. “How hurt was Shaice? Would he be able to fly anywhere right now?”

“No,” Faoz said at once. “Tomorrow, I think, would be the earliest he could fly.”

Fen wrote, _“How do we reach Meteor Falls from here? You said it’s close-by, how long would it take on foot?”_

Takao directed him; right out of this Centre, then straight on, following the road leading to a bridge crossing a river. The road beyond wound through a grassy then mountainous route, stopping at the Falls’ entrance. A couple of hours’ walk was his guess, though that was before considering wilds.

_We’d still have time to go there today,_ Fen thought, _then if we find nothing we can come back here, and Shaice can try finding those rocks..._ Neither option filled him with much optimism, but they didn’t seem to have much choice. He knew that none of his group would have better ideas.

Before he left the people, he wanted to check one more detail with Takao. _“We saw Groudon and Kyogre as we were flying over here. They roared at each other, then Kyogre seemed to create a tsunami to attack with. The rain was too strong for me to see anything after that. Does that fit with what you’ve been able to observe?”_

_“They do seem to spend most of their time under the sea. When they come to surface, we can only pray that it’s not anywhere near land.”_

_“Do you know where they are now? Where they might strike next?”_

_“No idea. Hopefully not here, of course, or we’re dead. Though even if we’re not struck down by a weather event, I doubt we have much time left.”_

Fen knew what he meant; he could see from the people’s pale faces, their haggard expressions, that they were starving and unwell.

He thanked Takao for his help, then shoved the used paper and the black pencil into Faoz’s bag. He ushered Faoz and Ryu out of the broken door and fixed it roughly back in place.

“That was… quite something,” Faoz said, the moment they were out. “What did those humans say, Fen? What are we doing now? And that thing they threw at Ryu, is he–”

“Okay!” Fen said, a little loud. He sat heavily on the stairs, feeling uncomfortably restless. His hand ached with the strange exercise he’d been forcing on it.

“Let’s – let’s see how Savi and Zephia are doing. Then I’ll explain to all of you.” He turned to Ryu, who was leaning faintly against a wall. “I can explain what happened to you too. But don’t worry, you’re fine.”

Ryu nodded. “That’d be good,” he said quietly. “Thanks.”

To Fen’s relief, Savi had done his job diligently. Zephia was soundly asleep in the middle of the ground floor.

“She started stirring recently, but I made a powder before she properly woke,” Savi explained. “I was kinda worried how I’d stop her if she woke again, so I’m glad you’re here.”

When they shook Zephia awake, she seemed momentarily stuck in her previous state of fury. But as she saw the four of them surrounding her, her snarls faded and she asked politely, just like the others, what Fen had done in that room.

“I told you not to smash open the door,” she said to Ryu. “I know what _they_ are like. Those balls they have...”

“You could’ve told me earlier,” Ryu snapped. “But – I should’ve waited, it’s true.”

“What you did didn’t help, Zephia,” Fen said.

“I realise that,” she said, then sighed. “What they did to Ryu just… set me off. I couldn’t help it.”

At this, Fen and Ryu exchanged an identical look. Zephia, admitting to a mistake? It was unheard of.

“So uh, what was that thing they threw?” Ryu asked a moment later.

It wasn’t easy for Fen to explain, as he’d completely forgotten that poké balls existed up until now.

“I don’t fully understand the science behind it,” he said, “but poké balls essentially convert the entire make-up of a Pokémon’s body into a much smaller surface area. There, it’s still alive but is in a sort of frozen consciousness – a bit like being asleep. It stays like that until the button on the poké ball is pressed to release the Pokémon.”

For a moment, they all tried to take in this miraculous invention. “What happened to Ryu, then?” Faoz asked.

“Well, a Pokémon can’t be converted like that unless its energy is low enough; if it’s been fighting, for example. Otherwise, it overwhelms the ball and destroys it, which is what Ryu managed.”

Ryu nodded. “So, as long as we don’t get too injured, we won’t get caught in these balls?”

“Yes, but–”

“And if any of us don’t break out of it, someone else can just free them, right? So–”

“Ryu!” Fen snapped, and the ‘mon stopped at once. “We can’t just dismiss them. Even if we could, humans might still possess things that are… far more dangerous. Poké balls aren’t even designed to be used as weapons, not really.”

“Are they always going to attack us, though?” Ryu asked. “Or was it just because I broke the door?”

“I don’t–” Fen stopped, and paused. “Let me just explain what I’ve learned. That should answer a few things.”

Ryu understood, and they listened attentively to him summarise his conversation with Takao, using the written-on paper as reminders.

“Meteor Falls isn’t far from here, but Takao warned us that going there – going anywhere, really – will be dangerous because of how ‘feral’ all the Pokémon have become.”

“Nothing the five of us can’t manage, I’m sure,” Faoz said.

Fen smiled at her confidence. “Hopefully, yeah. So, as for humans: if what Takao said about every Pokémon here turning ‘feral’ is true, humans will be expecting us to act that way. And if they expect any ‘mon they see to attack them, they’ll probably do the same to us. We should try avoiding humans unless we really need to speak to one. Zephia, do you have any ideas how to…?”

He found Zephia was gazing at the floor. Only after a couple of seconds did she register the collective silence and look up. “Huh?”

“Do you have ideas on how to avoid humans seeing us?”

“Oh… same as ‘mon, really. In fact, their eyes are probably worse, which makes it easier.”

Fen hesitated. Something was very odd about her manner; something wrong with the cold, absolute focus he was used to seeing. “Well, anyway,” he said, “we’ll leave immediately if everyone’s ready.”

Everyone was. Really, he had a strong urge to curl up and rest after what they’d already experienced today, but he fought off the instinct. As the others seemed to do likewise, they gathered up their items and moved off.


	19. Lost

A few hours later they half-walked, half-staggered up to the entrance of Meteor Falls.

Takao hadn't been wrong about it being difficult. They'd been attacked before even leaving Fallarbor, as a group of Zangoose leapt out from one rubble-filled corner and slashed madly with sharpened claws. Their victory was hardly a clean one: Zephia confused the Zangoose by transforming into one of them, leading to them ignoring Fen's group and just ripping into each other. Then they ran before the crazed Zangoose could realise.

They discussed using their scarves after that, but there was an eventual agreement not to. For one, they wanted to reach Meteor Falls as quickly as possible, and trying to coordinate the scarves would take time. And though the wilds they faced were strong, few were in groups as large as theirs, and with a little teamwork they were able see them off. After the last terrifying experience Fen had had with a scarf, he was also hesitant to risk them.

The worst part of the journey was in what he saw. Looking at Fallarbor from afar had disguised the extent of its damage; up close it revealed half-demolished buildings with smashed windows and broken doors; cars and the roads they stood on were no better. They passed torn-up Pokémon carcasses just left in the open, presumably killed in a fight. It worried him even more than before. How could Pokémon behave so savagely and reckless? Were Groudon and Kyogre, and the out-of-control climate, so powerful that they could induce this behaviour on their own?

Meteor Falls was, in spite of all this, an unexpectedly stunning sight. Its exterior was wild and jagged – the extent to which recent weather had shaped it was difficult to determine – with gold-yellow rocks glowing faintly in the evening dusk. The top of the cavern was open and Fen could just make out the top of a waterfall, with a muffled crashing of water within.

Then he paused.  _Have I been here before? Something seems very familiar… the waterfall, and the rocks, and those great dips in the ground that we've walked through… but I can't remember…_

He put that, and his tiredness, to one side. "To find the site of this meteor investigation," he told their group, "we need to find a place where the ground's been dug up. But it won't be quite the same as these natural craters. It'll be… man-made… however we can tell that." He frowned; this hadn't sounded so difficult in his head. Why hadn't he asked Takao for more specific instructions?

The cavern was dark inside, so he brightened his tail flame. There were more natural ground-dips, which echoed as dew from the ceiling fell into their puddles. The huge waterfall stood in the Falls' centre, with a wide river underneath splitting the land in two. He shook his head… this was all far too familiar… what was he forgetting?

"Hey." Zephia nudged him. "Do you think that's it?" She pointed to the right with her paw; Fen was glad for her night-vision. He moved his tail in line with her and his eyes lit up as bright as the flame. Ahead of them was a hole several feet wide, stretching deep into the rocks. Directly above it was a small gap in the ceiling. A meteor must have fallen there.

He found a set of man-made stairs carved into one side of the hole. There were a couple of other discarded human tools at the side. He thanked Zephia, yet again, for her help, then they descended.

The amount of natural light fell even further, with Fen needing his tail to see anything at all. By holding it out in front and making it as big as possible, he could just make out the end of this second cave, which was encouraging. The area wasn't too large to search.

When everyone was down, he stopped them again. "We're looking for a fragment of rock that's black, shiny, and… unusual in ways that might become clear. I would've suggested we split up to do this faster, but there's so little light in here…"

"I can still see fine," Zephia said. "So I could search somewhere different to you 'mon that need light."

"That's what I'd have suggested," Faoz said. "No one else can see in the dark, right?"

Fen glanced at Ryu. "Uh… I'm not  _that_ good," he replied sheepishly.

"That's okay," Faoz said. "If Zephia searches one side, the left, say, and we all use Fen's light to search the right? If anything attacks, I'm sure you could manage or at least call for help, Zephia."

Zephia grunted in agreement, and they swiftly got moving.

Fen concentrated on shining his tail at unexplored rock while the other three searched around him. They searched forensically, but it was exceedingly dull work and their complete lack of success only made them wearier. Occasionally Fen checked how Zephia was doing, but she returned the same disappointment. It was why, when Fen's tail  _did_ land upon something black and shiny in a wall, he gave a little yelp of surprise.

Their group instantly crowded around the tail. The object was about the size of Fen's fist, and its intense darkness stood out against the yellow rocks. "Whoa…" Ryu murmured, gazing wondrously. "You think this is a fragment of the rock?"

"Its colour fits the description," Fen said. "But I didn't expect to find it lodged in a wall. Or to be this big…"

He reached out to touch the rock, then hesitated.  _It may react differently to Pokémon,_ Takao had told him. Those Lanturn that attacked the other rocks had been brutally struck with fire and water…

 _No. We have to try, at least!_ He reached out until his fingers just brushed the rock. Nothing happened, but it felt… odd. Softer than he expected. That wasn't normal for rocks, was it? He might not be an archaeologist, but–

The rock suddenly changed. From its centre a ring of scarlet appeared, and inside this was a vertical black slit. Fen stood frozen, waiting to see what the rock would do. The slit moved a little then stopped in line with his body. The whole rock turned black for a millisecond before returning to colour. His mind raced to try and understand. Rocks couldn't change colour…

Then something unseen screeched; the wall rumbled; the rock itself moved on its own, and the air between it and Fen suddenly became hazy, and confusing, and…

_That thing's an eye–!_

A psychic wave hit him, and he lost all coordination of his senses.

It took a few seconds to fight off the fuzziness in his mind. He felt his legs pushed against something solid, and slowly moved his arms so they could use it as a support. Things became clearer once he got to his feet. He was against a rock wall, but nothing was close-by – then he heard noise from the other side of the cave; the  _right_ side, where he'd just been. Had the attack – if it was an attack – thrown him that far?

Brightening his tail confirmed those suspicions. He saw Ryu, Faoz and Savi facing the wall, which now had a metre-high, crescent shaped gap in it. A rock of that size floated freely in the air above it, a glowing red-and-black eye at its centre.

 _Lunatone,_ he recognised.  _It lives here! It's… unique to the Falls, I think, and there's another Pokémon here, what's its name…?_

Sensing a sudden movement behind him, he spun around. But as he did, the very wall he leant against exploded outwards, throwing him onto the ground again.

The smoke brought on by the rubble made him wheeze, then a paw yanked his arm and pulled him up, clearing his vision. There were his trio of allies next to him, Ryu with the supporting paw. Ahead, the Lunatone was accompanied by an orange, star-shaped Pokémon Fen had just been trying to visualise.

_Solrock… They're both here! If only I knew anything about how to attack them…_

The two floating 'mon were, unlike any wild he could remember, sitting completely still. "I've never seen these before," Faoz muttered across from him, "but they look like Rocks, which gives us a big advantage. I'll attack first to see what happens, then Savi, Ryu, follow up."

She immediately leapt onto all fours, then her cheeks inflated to the size of her head before they released a torrent of water, heading straight for the Lunatone.

Yet as she fired, Fen noticed the Solrock's body glow with white light. In front of the Lunatone's eye, where the water was going, it hit an invisible wall and fell harmlessly to the floor below the 'mon.

At once, Ryu lunged for the Solrock's spherical core, but the harm-free Lunatone glowed just as its ally had; Ryu cried out in pain as his fist hit a soundless barrier and bounced off.

Savi went for the Lunatone again, but thanks to the Solrock his sharpened leaves were met with the same ineffectual fate. Then before Fen could think about following, the ground around them seemed to ripple, and more rocks were torn off the cave walls. Luckily, the cave itself seemed to suffer the most; the rocks were so wildly distributed that only a few connected with them.

As Fen looked up from the floor again, he saw both Rock 'mon's eyes glowing dangerously; but Faoz leapt up, using her tails like a propeller, and hit each 'mon with their water-covered ends. The two forms recoiled slightly, and Faoz landed beside him. Fen got an idea.

"We need to attack together–"

They'd both spoken at once. Fen waved the Floatzel on.

"Just – gather the other two. I'll keep these busy," she finished.

Fen nodded. Finding Ryu and Savi wasn't a challenge, since he'd seen where they attacked from. As he guided them back to him and Faoz, his mind momentarily went to Zephia – where was she? Perhaps she was fighting something else.

Faoz didn't note this. "We want to overwhelm these 'mon," she said to them. "To attack at once, Fen and Ryu, you'll both need to use fists. Go for the star 'mon together. Savi, we'll go for the moon, but attack just before I do, alright?"

"Okay," Savi said. "When do we go?"

"When their eyes glow," Faoz said. "That's when they seem to attack; no 'mon can attack and defend at the same time."

"We'll have to time it well," Fen added. Ryu's fists charged; Savi tensed himself; Faoz dropped to the ground again. And a moment later, the 'mon's forms lit up.

"NOW!"

Fen and Ryu punched together, and the Solrock shuddered backwards, its body's levitation dipping. Without waiting for a signal Ryu punched again, and Fen followed him up. It retaliated with a psychic attack that made Fen dizzy, but the fight was still a mismatch without the Lunatone's defences. The Solrock could do nothing but take their punches, and it fell almost to the floor after Ryu's fourth force palm.

Fen risked a look behind him and saw the Lunatone's body receiving a similar pummelling from Faoz's mouth, as Savi paused so his leaves wouldn't get deflected in the blast. The water cut off for a second and the Lunatone screeched, a wounded, angry cry. The Solrock joined in, creating a deafening sound that forced Fen to stop and cover his ears. Then he saw the two 'mon's bodies glowing, far more intense than before. They were quickly enveloped in the light.

He and Ryu exchanged a brief look of fear. Then the light exploded.

There was just time to throw himself into a ball. The whiteness was blinding, the sound deafening; rocks flew like an inferno around them.

When, after a period impossible to judge, everything dimmed again, he summoned enough energy to brighten his tail. Looking around, it took a few seconds to find the Solrock and Lunatone, lying on top of rubble that now littered the area. The light on their exteriors had gone out as suddenly and absolutely as their energy.

A paw landed on his shoulder and he jumped, but it was Faoz with Ryu and Savi together. Like him they were bruised, tired, but well enough.

"You alright?" Faoz said to him. The ringing in his ears made her sound far away, but Fen nodded. "Those 'mon seem to have blown all their Psychic energy at once. Never seen that before. Crazy thing to do."

"What d'you think we should do now?" Ryu asked.

Faoz squinted. "Unfortunately, searching for that rock will be difficult with so much debris," she said. "Though I think we've already covered most of this place, between us four and Zephia."

A moment of silence. "Where is Zephia?" Fen said. "I haven't seen her since… before the Rock 'mon appeared." He shined his tail in a circle around the cave: nothing. "Should we call her name?"

"Not sure that's wise, given what we just fought," Faoz said. "I doubt Zephia would have been knocked out; I can only assume she went looking elsewhere. She wasn't carrying anything, was she? And she can see in the dark, so she'll be able to find us, wherever she is."

"Should we go back the main room, then?" Savi said. "If we're giving up the search here…"

Fen couldn't think of a reason to disagree, and they began walking back. But he didn't feel convinced. Why wasn't Zephia here? Where would she go in Meteor Falls? It wasn't like she knew the place… unless...

Suddenly, everything clicked. Fen remembered what Zephia had told him, some time ago now, about her home. A waterfall ran through the centre… the rocks were a strange yellow colour… there were occasional craters that she didn't understand, and an opening at the top of the cave…

_She lived – here! In Meteor Falls! That's what I couldn't remember, not one of my old memories, but what she told me! If she ran out of here, then… she probably knew where her home is!_

There was no time to waste. Ignoring his aching limbs, he ran through the Falls' main area, leaving the others at the cavern steps. Past that was a dead end, so he crossed a wooden bridge over the big river, almost falling through a ripped hole in the middle. Now there were two paths; on his left the ground sloped downwards via a series of ledges. No: Zephia had spoken like she'd seen the waterfall area of the Falls a lot, and living down that path would take her far away from it. He turned to the right path, which ended with a metre-high tunnel carved into a rock. Zephia's family  _would_ have lived somewhere difficult to find. He scrambled through the tunnel.

It led into a wider area, and he called "ZEPHIA!" as loud as possible. A Zubat heard him and latched onto his neck, its fangs producing some fluid which numbed the area fast. Fen drew fire into his foot and kicked wildly upwards, which did enough to throw the thing off. He continued running, crawling through every tunnel he could find. They soon became too small for all but the supplest of humans.

Streams ran all the way through the Falls, and at one point he walked straight into a mini-waterfall. In his panic, he slipped and was soaked with the icy current, but he gritted his teeth and carried on. The caves here were colder and darker but more beautiful; ice crystals reflecting his tail light onto the walls in mesmerising patterns.

He found Zephia's home without realising. What once must've been an entrance had been reduced to rubble, but most of the cave's low ceiling remained. There, barely a few feet away, facing the cave's opposite wall, was the Zorua. And Fen knew immediately that he shouldn't be here; Zephia's body shook feverishly, hunched over as if her legs couldn't support her. Aside from them, the cave was empty.

He felt a nudge and found Ryu standing breathlessly next to him. Fen guessed he'd followed the tail, and Ryu must've understood the situation exactly as he did, because he didn't move or make a sound.

But then Fen's foot accidently dislodged a stone, and Zephia seemed to turn around in slow motion. For a moment, much like himself, she seemed unable to move. Her eyes were raw, face streaming with tears.

"YOU!" she screamed at him. "What – what do you want?! Can't you j-just leave me alone?! For once?"

"Zephia," Fen began – but what could he say? "You disappeared, and I realised that… this was that place you talked about, and–"

"Of course it was!" she cried. "Why are you here?! You don't just… walk into Pokémon's homes! If m-my parents were here now, you'd… you'd be attacked, you stupid idiot!"

Fen had a feeling that whatever he said next would make things worse, but he still wanted to try. Not least because Zephia was struggling through tears, and he couldn't bear to see it.

"Look… I understand how awful this is for you, and I'm so sorry. But–"

"Oh, don't lie to me!" Zephia screeched. "You probably – you probably knew all along, didn't you, that they'd never be here? Maybe they got captured by your  _scum_  too, or maybe they're dead, or maybe they've just become these crazed beasts like everyone else… I should never have told you  _anything_! You were too clever… all I've been is a stupid puppet, doing whatever you wanted, when you knew full well that I'd never see them again, you… you–!"

"Zephia, please!" Ryu said, stepping out of the shadows. "Fen knew as little as you or me, we both know that!"

She bared her teeth at him, but stayed silent. Ryu continued.

"We came here because, well… I really care about you. I don't want to leave you on your own. I… I know you've suffered so much, I mean, I can see it when you're sleeping, or when you're reminded of your home… you hide it, but I can tell it's there. I think you're… one of the bravest 'mon I've ever met, Zephia. You've helped me, both of us, so many times, and you never want thanks, and you know why I think that is? Because… well, that's what friends would do for each other."

Zephia made a noise between a cry and a growl. "Stop it!" she said. "I never cared about either of you! I only did this for myself, and, and…" She shook her head a thousand more times. "Aggggggh! Get out! Now!"

"Just tell me that you'll stay with us!" Fen said, slightly pleadingly. "Please, we need your help to stop the natural disasters! If we can do that, I think–"

" _IF?_ " she spat. "You have no idea how to stop them – none of us do! This place was supposed to be it, wasn't it? I even helped you in that cave, but what is there? Nothing!"

Unless Faoz and Savi had miraculously found something, Fen had to concede that she was correct. He didn't know where they'd go now.

Ryu started speaking again, but stopped as Zephia's whole body started rippling with a crimson aura, the same colour that tinted her fur.

"I told you to go!" she said. "I'm warning you!"

Though he'd never seen Zephia do this, Fen had half a mind to follow her orders. Ryu, however, stood his ground defiantly. "I'm not leaving you here," he said.

So the aura surrounding Zephia grew and concentrated into her front paws. She raised them, seemingly to thump them down again, but they just hung, shaking, in the air. She looked at them both a final time, then the aura disappeared and she darted out of a broken side of the cave.

Neither Fen or Ryu moved for second. Then Ryu swore and started running to where she'd disappeared, but Fen grabbed his arm.

"There's no point. She's probably the best Pokémon at hiding in the world. And she wanted to be left alone. We won't find her."

After a brief struggle, Ryu's pull on his arm receded. His whole body sagged. "I can't believe she's just…  _gone_ ," he murmured.

"She put so much hope on finding her parents," Fen said. "When that disappears… I can understand her reaction. I don't know what I'd do if the same happened to me."

"I guess," Ryu said. "I just thought… I guess it's stupid to say now, but… I thought she was starting to help us because she  _wanted_  to…"

"Yeah, I did too."

Fen thought about how emotional Zephia had been, and realised something else.  _I'd never considered it before, but –_   _Zephia can't be very old. I don't know if her species evolves,_   _but even if not, I doubt she's much older than Ryu. She must've been only a kid when she got captured. What Ryu said was right; for all the toughness she had, she was fragile too. And to manage everything she did… I wish we could've helped her more._

They didn't encounter anything on the way to the main entrance, and Savi and Faoz thankfully reported the same. Explaining to them what had happened, though, and their subsequent looks of disbelief, was a different matter; Fen realised that neither had known a thing about Zephia.

They sat just outside the Falls that night, an overhanging rock above sheltering them from rain. They couldn't find enough sticks for a fire, but managed to jam one thick branch between some rocks and light it, providing a little protection against the freezing cold. That night around the makeshift flames, Fen and Ryu told the other two of how they'd met Zephia, her story and why she was gone. Reliving everything didn't make either of them feel better about it.

"She had the heart of an Arcanine," Faoz murmured afterwards. "I hope she can be happy, whatever she does."

It was in a tired, miserable state that Fen got ready to sleep. There had been little discussion of their plans for tomorrow, but he knew that there was none other than return to Fallarbor, and possibly ask Takao for more help. At least Shaice might be ready to fly them somewhere… though if there were no solutions to Groudon and Kyogre, it made little difference where they went.

Fen buried his face further into his fur.  _What was this all for?_ he thought despairingly. _Why did I become a Pokémon, why did I come all this way… it can't just end here! There must be something… something we can do..._

He fell asleep before that  _something_ became a reality. And the town in his dreams appeared again.

But this time it was different; the image was clearer, and it didn't feel like he was merely observing the place; he was  _there_. He stood in a small field, facing away from it towards the sea. A glut of buildings blocked most of his view, but they were dwarfed by the two enormous beings in the water itself, swiping and roaring at each other. He was transfixed in terror, and didn't notice the woman nearby until she shook his arm.

"Come with me!" she said, shouting above an awful din of screams, both of humans and Pokémon, emergency alarms and Groudon and Kyogre's roars. He turned to her now; she was short in height, not young but not lethargic either. She waved her arms frantically away from the field. "I don't know what's happening, but we need to get far away! There's space in my car, come on!"

As he was about to follow her, he noticed the gate to the field had been left open. A 10-strong group of Pokémon were streaming out, yelping in fear.

"The Pokémon!" he exclaimed. "T-they're getting out through the gate!"

"What–" the woman briefly glanced behind her, then shook him again. "Forget about the Pokémon, we have to get out! My car's just here–" She started leading him away through the gate too, but his eyes were fixed on the tiny figures. Cars were already hurtling down the street, away from the city and the sea, but the Pokémon, led by a Zigzagoon, were terrified by this and instead headed right onto a footpath. They were too small to notice that it led straight towards the sea. He glanced up; Groudon and Kyogre were moving closer.

The moment they ran through the gate, he shook off the woman's grip and sprinted down the same path as the Pokémon. A rumbling noise appeared, strangely disconnected from everything – he didn't seem to notice it.

"Cubbs! Iffi!" he cried, hoping the Pokémon would hear their names and come back to him. But he could barely hear himself, and the 'mon certainly didn't. He was getting nearer, but so was the sea and the legendaries, and there were too many Pokémon to carry anyway, and he felt about to lose his footing, and the rumbling was getting louder, and, and–

He was awake. Rumbling was all he could hear until it deafened him, then he could hear no more. Several arms grabbed hold of him, and he couldn't have resisted their pulls even if he'd tried. Only his mind seemed to function, but even that was slow to comprehend. Then the tremors disappeared; he managed to breathe.

An earthquake. Somehow, unimaginably worse than the one at Arkan.

He regained a morsel of strength, enough to prop his head up from the ground. Around him were the three Pokémon he valued so much, all gripping each other, and him, for stability.

They'd moved away from the high rock – that must've been why they'd pulled him – though the fire-stick and a bag, Faoz's, were still sitting there. Now without a roof they were fully exposed to the unyielding rain, and it stung as soon as Fen realised that it should.

He coughed, and said, "Why did you pull–"

Two things happened. Faoz seemed to realise she'd left her bag, and gingerly got up to retrieve it. Fen had been looking at the high rock absent-mindedly, but in the same instant its connection to the main cave cracked, then was severed entirely. The giant chunk plummeted into where they'd just sat with a crash almost equal in volume to the earthquake. If Faoz had taken a step further, she would have been crushed. She stood before the fallen rock, motionless.

_That was why._

"M-my bag," Faoz gasped, so quietly that the words were almost lost in the rain. She peered around the rock, perhaps in some desperate hope of lifting it up, but it had already sunk several feet into the cave formation, taking with it the ground below. She collapsed against it.

"At least… we weren't underneath it," Ryu said. He nudged Savi's head. "You were the only one who realised the danger. You might've saved us all."

Savi said nothing, even when Fen expressed a similar gratitude. His head was withdrawn, body shaking slightly.

"Savi?" Fen said. "You okay?"

"Well…  _I_ am," Savi sniffed. "But the Electrics won't be, will they? Not once this hits…"

He looked on the verge of breaking down, and neither Fen or Ryu knew what to do; but then he made a little growl and lifted his head up. "C'mon… if Zephia was here, she'd be screaming at me," he murmured. "Maybe she had a point."

"Yes, she did," Faoz said, turning to face them. "Right now, we might as well be the only Pokémon in the world. We have no control over what happens in Kyunn. I know it's hard," she looked at Savi, "because there are 'mon I care about too. We all have them. But dwelling on what-ifs is the worst thing we can do."

Savi nodded, eyes defiant. His leaves were withdrawn, rather than covering himself like the previous night.

"Ryu," Faoz said, turning to him. "You still have your bag?"

"Yeah." It was on his back; probably never removed, Fen thought.

"What's left?"

Fen shone his tail close so Ryu could see. "A little bit of food," he said, "a water flask, my rock, our scarves… uh, that's about it."

Faoz made a sigh that was like disappointment, sadness and plain exhaustion rolled into one.

"The sitrus berries, the seeds… I suppose it could've been worse, but…" She trailed off, gazing around them. "Oh well, it's gone… we'd better find shelter now…"

"The cave?" Ryu offered.

"No," Fen said, even though he wished beyond anything that the Falls was a viable place. "Lunatone and Solrock are active at night, I think. It's too dangerous."

"But there's nowhere else," Ryu said, and it was true. The ground here was high and unshielded.

"Can't we just… huddle together?" Savi said. "It gives us  _something…_ "

So with little other choice, they leant against the top of the fallen boulder. Fen made his tail as small as possible and held it to his chest so they could form a compact ball of warmth, with him in the centre due to his extra vulnerability.

In the shape of this latest setback, his thoughts again drifted to the bleakness of their situation, the longing to work out his past, work out the vision he kept seeing–

 _My vision!_  A jolt of energy coursed through him, making his tail flare briefly. He'd seen that same scene of Groudon and Kyogre, but more of it this time – there was a woman, and Pokémon he was chasing after, and he'd heard himself speak, and call the Pokémon names, and – he was running towards the sea when a rumbling – it must've been the earthquake, that was why it felt so alien at the time – had woken him up, and he'd forgotten all about it, but now…

There was no doubting it; they had to go the place he'd seen. Of course! Something about that day, that event, was vitally important. Why else would he have kept seeing it happen? It was just like the emotion attacks: they had a message behind them. He tried to remember every detail of it; given how vivid the last dream had been, this caused him more pain than normal. Through gritted teeth and clenched fists, he recalled the field he'd stood in, the urbanised city overlooking the sea, the steep footpaths he'd run down… but no name.

"Guys!" he said urgently. None of the huddled Pokémon had fallen asleep, and they were instantly attentive as he explained his idea.

"You're saying that we need to go back to Fallarbor, and ask the humans where this place is?" Faoz said, once he'd finished.

"Yeah. Hopefully what I can remember is enough to go on."

"But… this place could be anywhere, right?" Savi said. "What if it's in the opposite corner of Hoenn to us?"

"Even then, Shaice will be better now," Faoz answered. "As long as Hoenn isn't absurdly large – which from what I can tell, it isn't – and as long as we know where we're going, we can find it. The only concern I have is whether it's where we  _need_  to go."

"Nothing that Fen's, uh…  _mind_ has told us so far has been on the wrong track," Ryu said. "I trust that this one's the same."

"Right!" Fen said. He felt like a little ember of hope had been lit in his heart; they  _could_ do this, they could find whatever it was he was searching for, and with some luck they even could do it tomorrow. He turned to Ryu, and the 'mon's smile told the same story, and that warmed him even more.

There was a long, collective silence, like a relieved exhale.

"In all our previous despair," Faoz said wryly, "we forgot to have someone keep watch. I–"

"You watched yesterday, Faoz," Savi said.

"I didn't do anything then," Ryu added.

"Given how I was before–"

"It's only fair that I–"

"Oh, you can both watch!" Faoz said loudly. "In turns. Ryu, since you can see a little better in the dark you should go first. Swap over halfway to dawn, you should know how it works."

Ryu and Savi agreed on that, and the former took up a position overlooking the landscape. As he was about to curl up again, Faoz caught Fen's eye. She said nothing, but had a look which said,  _"Funny what a little hope can do, eh?"_


	20. Three

There was a renewed vigour in their travelling the following morning. Their depleted supplies didn’t deter them; they knew the route to Fallarbor well now, the types and strategies of the wilds, and fought through it all. Fen’s worries about whether the new plan really would bear fruit were suppressed, overrun by a complete focus and determination. Half of the forest seemed to have fallen since yesterday, but he had seen enough of what earthquakes could do and felt desensitised by now.

It wasn’t until they reached the town that he was forced to stop for thought.

Fallarbor’s houses had become so crushed that he almost wondered if Groudon itself had walked over them. Before the earthquake it had at least resembled a town. Now…

_What if the Pokémon Centre collapsed too? What if… what if it’s too late to speak to the people again?_

They hurried through the town, through its ever-present volcanic ash, fighting off a couple of leaf-slashing Nuzleaf on the way. The Pokémon Centre was, thankfully, still standing; but a chunk in the top-right corner had collapsed, taking with it whole windows and light fittings. The remains of its roof balanced precariously.

Climbing over a small mountain of debris, they found the glass entrance doors had been replaced with a barricade of chairs. Fen heard faint noises from inside and could tell they were sounds of distress. _They probably heard us. How do I tell them I’m not a wild?_

Peering underneath a gap between two chairs – the cardboard covering the windows was no more, so plenty of light filtered into the room – he made out a man and a women, neither recognisable. They were muttering in panicked tones. Like outside, the floor was littered with rubble, holes and cracks.

Fen knocked on a chair leg and both people spun to the sound immediately, the women squealing. He showed his face and put his hands up to indicate peace, as he had done previously, and they calmed down. They discussed something mutedly, but neither made a move to let him inside.

Fen huffed. “Could someone pass me a paper and pencil?” he asked their group.

A pause. “They were in the other bag,” Faoz said. “Sorry.”

 _Of course…_ As Fen tried to think of an alternative to smashing through the chairs, he heard footsteps and a few moments later, Takao’s face appeared in the room. He looked even more cut than before, and his shirt appeared to have been discarded in order to tie parts around his blood-stained arm and thigh. He shouted an order at the two people behind, who promptly disappeared from view, then limped over to the chairs and let Fen inside.

An odd few seconds passed, neither of them able to communicate. Another call came from what had been the stairs – its spiral structure had collapsed halfway up. The women from before was holding writing materials from a platform disconnected from the bottom. Takao walked over and took them off her.

“Fen,” Faoz put a paw on his shoulder. “I don’t think you’ll need me here, so I’m going to check on Shaice. Save some time.”

Fen sensed her motivations were slightly stronger than just efficiency, but understood. “Okay. Meet us back here when you’re ready.”

She nodded, then disappeared.

Takao wrote, _“Did you make it to Meteor Falls? What did you find? I notice that one of your party – the rare Zorua, I believe –_ _is not here either? Did she do something important?”_

 _They knew who she was!_ Fen thought instantly, before telling himself to calm down. _But of course they would. It’s not like anyone could be looking for her now… and that doesn’t matter anyway…_

 _“The Zorua left for unrelated reasons,”_ he replied. _“We did make it to the Falls, but found nothing relating to those rock fragments. However, last night I realised something else that I hadn’t thought of.”_

He quickly explained his recurring dream. He described the scenery as best as he could remember, then asked Takao if he knew where it was.

_“Unfortunately I’m not from Hoenn, so I’m not the most reliable for directions. I can find someone better though.”_

Takao took a few steps towards the stairs, then turned back and wrote again. _“Come with me. It’ll be easier.”_

Ryu and Savi started following Fen, but Takao quickly stopped him. _“Only you should come.”_

So with a sigh, Fen explained to the others that they had to stay put. Ryu in particular looked annoyed, but didn’t argue.

Where the stairs split in two, Takao made the jump himself, using what remained of the handrail for support. Fen’s hands stuck to the metal surface more easily.

The first floor was just as fractured as the one below it, but it was awash with people, massed in the hall and doorways of rooms. The food court, Fen assumed, had been un-saveably damaged in the earthquake. A number of people squealed at the sight of him, but Takao told them firmly to be calm as he explained the situation. While he consulted with people Fen could only stand back, frustrated by how useless he was.

The professor eventually replied, _“There are three cities I can think of that overlook the sea: Slateport, Lilycove and Mossdeep. None are close-by, so I wouldn’t know if Groudon and–”_

Fen had stopped reading. _Lilycove._ The name felt like a firecracker in his head; the sudden conviction he had was so strong that he shivered. _That_ was where he’d been!

_“Lilycove. That’s where it was, I’m certain. I just remembered.”_

Takao frowned. _“Is that how your amnesia works?”_

 _“I don’t really know how it works,”_ Fen wrote impatiently.

Takao consulted again. _“Well, the problem with Lilycove is that it’s a long, long way on foot, and that’s on top of the problem with wilds.”_

 _“But we don’t need to travel on foot. The Salamence that carried us from Kyunn–”_ he scribbled that out, “ _–Emritia can take us. All we need are the directions there.”_

Takao’s eyes lit up as he read. _“Of course. I’ll try working it out.”_

A few minutes of frustrating gibberish later, Takao said, _“We think it’s pretty much directly east from here – that’s straight ahead from the side of this Pokémon Centre facing Mt. Chimney. But I’m worried that you’ll drift off track, especially since you’re likely to have a storm in the time it takes to fly. We’re looking for any maps or compasses to help.”_

 _Compasses…_ Fen indicated that they wait, then ran to the stairs. “Ryu, do we still have our compass?”

“Uh… I haven’t moved it,” Ryu said, rummaging inside his bag. Moments later, he pulled out a battered little square of wood, the thin arrow of metal contained within still intact. “Here. D’you think it still works?”

“Which way does it say east is?” Fen asked.

Ryu held the compass away from him, quite needlessly, then read it. He pointed to the side of the building facing the ruined part of town. “This way.”

“Then it still works,” Fen smiled. He turned back and found Takao watching them intensely, a curiousness in his eyes.

 _“You have a compass?”_ he asked.

_“Yeah. If Lilycove is straight east then that’s all we need, right?”_

Takao hesitated. _“Where did you obtain that?”_

Fen thought about it. It was Faoz who’d given it to them, so long ago now… had she made it? He’d never asked.

_“They’re made in Emritia somewhere. I don’t know by who.”_

Takao didn’t immediately reply, but his surprise and – was it scepticism? – was clear to see. That irritated Fen; did he not believe Pokémon were intelligent enough to create them? If their travels of Kyunn – it _was_ Kyunn, he couldn’t call it anything else – had taught him one thing, it was just how clever they were. Not in the same terms as humans, perhaps, but certainly in their ability to construct towns and settlements side-by-side with nature, taking advantage of their natural inclinations.

 _“Very well,”_ Takao said eventually. _“Map-wise, that should be all you need. Unless there’s something else?”_

Fen had another thought. _“About how far is Lilycove from here?”_

Takao consulted briefly. _“About 100 miles, we think. There’s actually another town directly east_ , _called Fortree. It looks very different to Lilycove, much smaller, but it stands about halfway between here and the city, so don’t be fooled if you find it first.”_

It had been so long since anyone mentioned a mile to Fen, he struggled to put that number into context. It would certainly be enormous for someone to walk, but with Shaice–

Suddenly there was an almighty crash of chairs from downstairs; the simultaneous yelp of people was almost as loud. Expecting danger, Fen ran to the stairs, but the only thing new in the room was Faoz.

“Where is he?” she demanded breathlessly of Ryu and Savi, who were both trying to calm her down.

Fen jumped down from the stairs. “Faoz!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing? You can’t just–”

Their eyes met then, and Faoz almost launched herself at him, gripping him with both paws, so close that their muzzles were touching.

“Listen, I need something – anything. Shai is, well – I was stupid to think an injured ‘mon would be safe here after what you said – should’ve stayed with him, no one would’ve attacked then–”

“Faoz, could you explain–”

“HE MIGHT DIE HERE!” she howled, then let go of him and howled her own, wordless cry, like it were an untamable beast from inside her. Her words were mixed with sobs. “Something has torn him up, he’s bleeding, he’s – oh, _please_! I need something, anything they have, just ask, just…”

“Okay!” Fen said. “I’ll… I’ll ask.” He realised that their paper was still upstairs. “Faoz, just wait here, and you two–”

“I’m not leaving him on his own!”

“Well – go to him, then!” Her anxiety was rubbing off on Fen. He looked at Savi and Ryu desperately. “If one of you–”

“I’ll go with her,” Savi said, immediately understanding. “We’ll meet you there.”

As Savi helped Faoz stumble out of the door, the room fell quiet again, which Fen was glad for; the people were far more likely to listen to him if they weren’t terrified. He turned to Ryu, who looked quite lost.

“I’ll just wait here, then,” Ryu mumbled.

“Please,” Fen said.

A few people’s heads had been poking around the staircase, but they retreated the moment Fen headed back towards them. There was a solid block of people in the hall now, not daring to move closer to him. He held out his empty hands impatiently. _You won’t be scared if I just explain what happened!_

Takao appeared out of a doorway then, and quickly passed him writing materials. Fen explained the situation, and asked if they had anything to heal Pokémon – oran berries or something similar.

The way Takao’s face fell told him the answer immediately. _“We threw all this place’s Pokémon food out some time ago. Medicines, too. We were scared it would work as bait to bring ferals here. It’s not even worth checking, because we searched the place thoroughly.”_

For some reason this dismissal made Fen furious; he had to stop himself growling. _“You could at least ask people! Please, this is desperate!”_

So reluctantly, Takao turned and asked the question, also urging the people to be calm. There was a few seconds of silence, and then a girl from a corner of the hall stood up. Fen was startled by how young she looked, surely no older than 15. Her hair was tied with a tattered red bow, which seemed only there to prevent it looking any wilder. In her hand was a yellow rucksack.

She took tentative steps towards Fen – he expected someone to have stopped her or tugged her back, but the girl appeared to have no family. She said something quietly to Takao, who stared at her and gave a whispered exclamation. After a few more words, she reached into her bag and pulled out two plastic bottles, each filled with a purplish substance.

She wrote, _“Someone’s hurt, right? So would potions still be useful? I kept them with me because I came here as a trainer, but then my Pokémon ran away, but I kept these hidden even when everything was thrown out because they don’t have a smell, and just in case my Marshtomp came back… if you can use them I suppose that’s still something good?”_

Reading the hurried message, Fen immediately felt more sympathy for the girl than any human he’d met so far. She cared a great deal for her Pokémon, and had taken risks just to hold onto the memories of them, despite her obvious fear.

He remembered very little about potions, but would’ve accepted anything. _“They’re something. Thank you.”_

He picked up one and examined the uneven bottle shape. He had no recollection of how it worked, even what it was. The girl sensed this and laughed nervously. She showed him the nozzle at the top, which when pressed sprayed a healing substance. They could be applied to wounds or just ingested, though that only helped for matters like fatigue. And they only worked on Pokémon.

Fen glanced at Takao again, and the knots around the man’s arms reminded him of something else. _“Do you have anything to treat wounds? Bandages, maybe?”_

Takao hesitated to answer, and a few seconds later the girl snatched the paper out of his hand. _“Yes, a little.”_

She disappeared into a room, and returned moments later with a roll of bandage. Desperate to move on now, Fen just took them and the potions, gave her the most grateful smile he could, then hurried back downstairs.

After explaining to Ryu what happened, they ran to the edge of town where Shaice had rested. When they found the Dragon a few minutes later, thankfully encountering no wilds, the sight was as bad as Fen had feared.

Shaice was flat on his stomach; Fen guessed that was the only part of him uninjured. His once-majestic wings had great slashes all over; trails of blood had run down onto the grass from them, as well as from his back and tail. Faoz was hugging the Dragon’s head as if it was her last grip on the world. When she reluctantly moved away, Fen saw that this was the worst area of all. Three of the fins on Shaice’s face had been severed entirely, another bent in half, while his eyes were so gashed that they seemed shut out of necessity, not choice.

“I don’t have berries, but there’s something else which can help,” Fen said, holding up the potions and bandages. He looked doubtfully at the bottles, which were barely the size of his fist. “Faoz, I don’t know if we’ll have enough of this to treat everything. We might just have to focus on the worst areas.”

Faoz nodded, but seemed so overcome with emotion now that she couldn’t speak. So Fen, seeing no other option, kneeled next to Shaice and spoke directly to him.

“Shaice, I have a spray that can heal you, but not very much of it. If you can tell me which part of your body hurts the most, I can start there.”

“My eyes,” Shaice said at once, his voice a quiet rasp. They were the first words Fen had ever heard from him.

Fen nodded and raised the bottle above the area. “This… might hurt a lot.”

Shaice’s roar of agony the moment the spray touched him told its own story. His head lurched so violently that Fen had to jump back, then it hit the ground with a _thump._

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t–”

“No,” Shaice murmured. “Do it again. Please. Hold me down if you have to.”

So Ryu put his arms around the top of the Dragon’s huge neck, and Savi found a branch, then several more when that one was broken, to lodge in his mouth to subdue the cries. Fen sprayed Shaice’s eyes until the first bottle had nearly been emptied. The effect, while not quite miraculous, was a big improvement. The cuts were no longer bloody, though their swelling was enormous. Shaice’s eyelids opened a few millimetres, and his sclera were crimson, almost purple in colour. Even those tiny slits contained an overwhelming amount of emotion; pain and fear, but great relief too.

“Thank you,” Shaice said simply. “You have more?”

“Yes. Where…?”

“My throat, neck…” Shaice winced again. “Can hardly breathe.”

Using the same procedure, Fen sprayed the wounds until they were as clean as possible.

“I have a half a bottle left,” he said to Shaice. “Do you want me to try spraying all over, or is there a specific area?”

“Ignore my wings,” Shaice said. “I can survive without them.”

Fen realised what he was implying and looked again, horrified, at the ruined wings. Ryu said, “Y-you’ll still be able to fly, won’t you? Once… this heals, I mean…”

“Riolu,” Shaice said, “I do not know. But my wings certainly cannot function without the rest of me.”

“We can still bandage them,” Fen said; though he could only hope what they had was enough. He got ready to spray again. “Once more, Shaice…”

The remaining potion mainly just stemmed the wounds’ bleeding. Then Fen, Ryu and Savi got to work on the bandages. The sheer bulk of Shaice not only made this very difficult, but meant they had to exclude several more minor cuts just to save the limited bandage they had. Faoz had somewhat snapped out of the daze she was in now, using her water to help clean some of the wing wounds. Though once this was done she went back to hugging Shaice’s head.

Finally, they finished bandaging. Fen and the others sat next to Faoz. The situation had exhausted them.

“Shaice, or Faoz,” Fen began. “How... did this happen to you?”

Faoz looked to Shaice for the explanation, and the Dragon didn’t hesitate.

“It was last night. A group of Scyther, there must have been six or seven. I was resting, awake but not active. After the flight, you see, and added to the injuries I already had, I needed a long rest to recover. Once Dragons reach this kind of slumbering state, we are very difficult to rouse. Presumably the Scyther saw me here, and… they attacked. The pain inflicted almost instantly was…” He paused. “I don’t know why they didn’t stop. My flesh is not edible, so killing me would be of no worth.”

“How _did_ they stop?” Ryu asked.

“I tried to fight, but I eventually had no choice but to lay down and pretend I was dead. Even then, they continued a little longer before moving on. But alas, I am still here.”

He addressed Fen, Ryu and Savi. “That spray, however you obtained it, may well have saved my life. Now, it is not custom for my kind to converse with any of you… but I must make an exception here. You three deserve all the respect and thanks I can possibly offer.”

The words barely registered to Fen. He stared at the floor, a feeling of hopelessness building.

_Takao told me about how savage Pokémon were behaving… I should’ve realised that Shaice would be in danger out in the open, but I didn’t and now he can’t fly us anywhere, might never even fly again. I’ve spent so long working out where we need to go, and just when I thought it was within reach…_

“Hey! Fen…” Ryu was shaking him, but his voice had a gentler tone of concern. “Now’s not the time to disappear on us, ‘mon! What’s wrong?”

“What happened was my fault,” Fen murmured, unable to look Shaice in the eye. “I should’ve expected this after what I was told about the wilds…”

“We all knew about them, though!” Savi said. “And… why would we expect anything to attack a Salamence when he’s resting? That’s not what happens, especially with Dragons–”

“But these aren’t normal wilds!”

“Fen.” Faoz spoke for the first time in a long while. “Be easy on yourself. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I echo everything Shai has said; what you just did was outstanding. All three of you.”

Fen looked sadly at her and shook his head. “It’s not just that. Just before you appeared, Faoz, I figured out where we need to go. It’s far away from here, but that wasn’t a problem a few minutes ago, because I was relying on Shaice flying us. But now…”

“You will still make it there,” Shaice said. “Believe in yourself. Faoz has told me about your travels.”

“Glyciak was different–”

“Yes, because you’re incomparably stronger now,” Faoz replied. “You had to learn how to hunt, yes? So you won’t die of starvation. You know where you’re going – that’s crucial. You don’t have any berries, but you don’t–”

“What if we’re in a situation like Shaice’s?” Fen demanded. “There’s no way we’re getting out of that!”

Faoz paused. “You have the scarves. If you use them correctly, I would give you a very good chance.”

Fen still looked sceptical, so she continued. “The three of you are as well suited to them than any group I could’ve compiled. Here, I’ll show you. Pass me the bag, Ryu.”

Ryu did so, and she took out the scarves, examining them briefly, before passing one to each of the Pokémon in turn.

“I’ve seen how all of you fight, and I know these scarves very well,” she said. “I agree with you Fen, that this will be a challenging journey; it would be foolish to send you out without a proper battle strategy. So listen up: if you find yourself in a tricky situation, here’s what you should do…”

Faoz had a knack of consistently amazing Fen. He had always used as much strategy as possible in fights, but what he’d learnt was still far off her abilities – her depth of knowledge on battling seemed endless. Ryu in particular was rapt listening, and grew increasingly excited and optimistic. The only downside to the scarves was that, due to their power, they weren’t able to practice before a real enemy came along.

When she had finished, Savi spoke. “I suppose you’re not coming with us, Faoz.”

“No,” Faoz said sadly. “No, I must stay here. I’m sure you understand why.”

Fen knew. _Even forgoing how important Shaice is to her, we might still need him here if he recovers, and…_ he realised with a jolt, _Shaice is our only route back to Kyunn. What if he really can’t fly again… even if, somehow, we managed to save things here, then Ryu, Savi, Faoz would all be stuck on Hoenn… that can’t happen!_

“But Faoz,” Savi protested, “you’re stronger than any of us, you don’t have to stay here! I’ll look after Shaice, I can–”

Faoz held up a decisive paw. “I appreciate the intention, but no. I’m not as youthful and full of energy as you think; that’s why I stopped exploring, after all. It should be you three. Trust me.”

Savi exchanged looks with Fen and Ryu, neither of whom could dispute Faoz. “In that case,” Savi said, “thanks for everything you’ve done for me… we’ll make sure this wasn’t all for nothing.”

“Shaice too,” Fen added. “Thanks, both of you, for believing what I said, and taking us here, and all the help you gave us on Kyunn.”

Faoz nodded graciously to both, eyes glowing.

“Thanks Faoz,” Ryu said with a wry smile. “See ya after we save the world?”

Faoz smiled back at that and she held a paw out for Ryu to slap, like how his species greeted each other.

Spits of rain started falling as they walked through Fallarbor for the last time, but rather than irritate Fen it made him remember, just in time, an idea he’d had the previous day. He’d seen an umbrella in a corner of the Pokémon Centre’s ground floor, though the observation had flown over his head at first sight. Fortunately, after sneaking inside the building unnoticed, it was exactly where he remembered.

He briefed Ryu and Savi about what it did – they both wowed when he opened it – and they agreed it was valuable. The umbrella was an inconspicuous black, and though it had to poke out of Ryu’s bag when not being used, the fact it was big enough for all of them to shelter underneath was a worthy trade-off.  

 

Faoz had told them at Meteor Falls that they might as well be the only Pokémon left in the world. While Fen knew that was motivational hyperbole, there were times in the following days where it felt accurate.

They’d started by taking the most direct route east, which took them through the solidified lava that had decimated half of Fallarbor. However, despite being some weeks old the lava hadn’t cooled sufficiently; first Savi, then Ryu said it was far too hot to walk on. That forced them to find another way across. Knowing very little about what was inland, they went back out to the forest where they’d first landed, but even here they had to occasionally skirt or hop around areas of hot liquid.

Most of the wilds that attacked were Fires, presumably furious at their destroyed habitats. Given they used the hardened lava to their advantage, Fen often had to take charge in these fights, and Savi had a difficult time.

Strangely, Fen had no dreams or any sort of interrupted sleep in these days; he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or worried at the lack of guidance.

But eventually the lava disappeared for good, then the trees, and they crossed a small mountain pass. They were so focused on making ground that they didn’t pause until the terrain had softened, the air shot up in humidity, and there was suddenly nothing in sight but a yellowish dust and white sand.

“Uh… did we go the wrong way?” Ryu said. “Where are we?”

Fen squinted; the horizon was dazzling. “A desert, it looks like.” He checked the compass: still east. “We’re going the right way, so… I suppose we’ll have to walk through it.”

Ryu was squinting too. “I can hardly see a thing… what’s with all these dust clouds? I thought we’d passed the volcano.”

Fen shrugged. “There’ll probably be extreme weather wherever we go.”

The desert was like another world. The sand around them rose up and down in giant ripples, and they had to move quickly at parts when it was deep enough to consume their whole bodies. They went on like this for a while, then as they were midway up a sand dune, a blast of wind took the top of it off. Fen had to shield his face against the rush of particles; like a sharper form of rain.

The sandstorm blew with such ferocity that his feet started sinking as he tried to stay upright. Ryu and Savi were doing likewise. They tried waiting for it to die down, but it didn’t. So eventually, Savi pulled up his vines and thrashed them about until the sand around his legs could be hauled out. Without needing a word, he helped Fen and Ryu out of their own sunken positions, then waved his paw eastwards. Fen gave as much of a nod as he could, then they restarted, very slowly, through the storm.

They stuck tightly together, both for greater protection and so none of them could get lost. It meant that when Ryu suddenly stopped, Fen noticed at once. He was staring at something on their left, though nothing was there other than the usual sand.

“I saw something move!” Ryu shouted to them above the noise. “It wasn’t just the wind… was moving the other way…”

Ryu seemed quite unconvinced himself, and after a moment’s pause of nothing he shook his head and took a step away. It landed on an unusually solid bump. He barely had time to be surprised before a brown-yellow ball burst from the sand into his body, throwing him to the floor. As Fen watched he felt the sand underneath him move too, and a thin figure tackled him almost vertically. Something sharp on its rear end slashed across his fur.

The Vibrava slowed its supersonic wings to land opposite him. Fen shook himself and spat sand away, expecting it to go underground again. Instead, the Vibrava opened its mouth and fired a stream of… something. It couldn’t be fire, as the dark-blue substance burnt Fen’s fur in a way that no heat was able to. Despite the pain he managed to breathe a flamethrower of his own; the two heat streams collided, throwing up shades of green and violet into the air. The Vibrava cut off its attack first and darted away.

Fen looked around for a moment. Savi’s vines were suspended and he was checking the sand around him intently, where at least one ripple was moving. Ryu was tussling with a Trapinch, whose enormous head was hurling sand into the air for protection.

_All these Pokémon are adapted to the conditions… we’re seriously disadvantaged here._

A high-pitched screech caught his attention; in fact, it immediately made his head pound. But it enabled him to avoid the Vibrava’s subsequent lunge, then scramble towards Ryu.

“Ryu, get to Savi!” he shouted. At that moment the Trapinch clamped itself around one of Ryu’s forearms, but he had seen it coming and threw the thing back off him with a counter.

They both turned to the Ivysaur, who was trying with increasing desperation to fend off two Sandslash. The ‘mon darted in and out of the sand relentlessly.

“Scarves?” Ryu said.

“Give me mine now,” Fen replied. “We need to draw out these underground ‘mon.”

Ryu had practiced withdrawing the scarves, so barely needed a second to pass Fen the faded white material. Then he promptly shoved both of them to the ground, avoiding the Vibrava and Trapinch’s simultaneous attacks.

As soon as the evasion scarf was around Fen’s neck, everything felt in control. He jumped up in front of Ryu to confront their two enemies. Seeing the Vibrava open its mouth, he moved just as another of its pseudo-flamethrowers emerged. He whistled at the Trapinch to make it attack; it growled before digging itself into the sand. Not ideal, but a solution quickly came to him.

He turned to the two ripples circling Savi. Ryu was waiting for the right moment to run between them. Fen checked the Vibrava wasn’t within firing range, then moved towards the Sandslash, aware of the underground Trapinch pursuing him. When that was right behind him, he stepped over the Sandslash ball, making it leap out from the sand. With his heightened agility he leapt away from the ball on his instep, and both the Sandslash and Trapinch attacked where he _had_ been. His timing wasn’t perfect, though; rather than colliding as he intended, both ‘mon flew gracelessly in different directions. However, the distraction gave Ryu time to run to Savi, who lifted a forepaw up for the scarf to be tied around.

The downside to Fen’s scarf was that a single strong attack would wipe all his agility and leave him exhausted. Because of that his role was limited to being a distractor of foes, which fit perfectly with his taunting abilities.

Savi was the key player in their strategy: the element scarf being tied to him boosted the power of non-physical attacks. That encompassed almost every attack Savi knew. While Fen could coordinate where their enemies went, Savi had to deal most of the damage. The element scarf slowed the wearer to the point where they were almost immobile, but as long as Fen kept enemies within range of Savi’s vines, he wouldn’t need to move.

“Take care of anything behind me,” Savi said to Ryu as the scarf was tied. “I can’t move fast–”

As Ryu finished tying, Savi made a little gasp of surprise. His vines, which had been darting around the sand trying to intercept attacks, suddenly plunged into the ground. Ryu saw them extend like the veins underneath the sand. The Vibrava was breathing another attack at Fen, but as it did a pair of vines burst from the sand and coiled around it. The creature writhed and squealed in their grip, and Fen lashed out with a foot, putting the ‘mon in a tangled heap on the floor. The Trapinch and one Sandslash were still on the move and, Ryu realised, the sandstorm made projectiles like Savi’s leaves or seeds difficult to use. Not only would the wind misdirect them, but Savi couldn’t risk striking Fen by mistake.

“Fen!” Ryu shouted. “Bring them nearer!”

Fen glanced up and his eyes told Ryu he’d understood. Ryu noted that the second Sandslash had gone missing, and turned behind him. Just in time; it was hurtling underground straight into Savi’s path.

Savi’s concentration was crucial, so Ryu, seeing no other option, ran over and threw his body on top of the sand ripple. His paws found something sharp, but his hold was weak and the Sandslash was able to push out of the sand. While Ryu was knocked back on the floor, it drove both its claws into his back.

Ryu cried out. He lurched forwards far enough to grab one of the Sandslash’s feet, then yanked it to the side with all his energy. The Sandslash howled and stumbled onto its side.

Hearing Ryu, Savi withdrew the vines that had been striking Fen’s targets. Even with their insatiable lust for fighting, Savi thought, the wilds were clearly tiring. A couple of vine whips made Ryu’s foe retreat, and another vine helped the Riolu up.

“We’re in a good position,” Ryu said, pulling out the last, faded-red scarf.

Savi cursed as the Sandslash burrowed before he could strike again. “Take care of the ones Fen’s got,” he said. “I’ll watch this. Can come back here if you need to.”

“Yeah,” Ryu said. His paws shook in tying the scarf; partly due to fatigue, but partly because he had little idea of what was about to happen.

The physical scarf was perhaps the most powerful of all. It increased the speed and hitting power of the wearer to frightening extremes, but it came at an inevitable cost. Savi saw the effect in his periphery as soon as the scarf was secured; Ryu’s pupils dilated almost completely, and he sprinted towards the ‘mon around Fen, howling wildly.

The sight of Ryu tearing towards Fen made him falter, but he managed to manoeuvre the Trapinch between him and the Riolu. Unfortunately, the power of Ryu’s fist hurled the Ground ‘mon straight into him. Even with his agility, Fen couldn’t get up fast enough and an unhurt Sandslash swiped across his chest, before doing the same to knock out the Trapinch.

Fen gasped for breath, straining all his energy to reach the scarf around his neck. It was useless now. Meanwhile the Sandslash’s savagery had blinded it to Ryu’s presence, and it was promptly knocked away by his paws.

Fen finally undid the scarf and felt the world return to normal. Only the Vibrava was left now, Ryu facing it down. But as he prepared to punch, the Vibrava burrowed underground in a flash. Ryu’s fist met thin air, and he glanced around in bemusement. Fen knew already what would happen; the Vibrava flew up from beneath Ryu’s feet, wiping him out.

With Ryu’s limited cognition, the Vibrava would be too clever for him. Fen whistled to gather its attention. Both Ryu and the Vibrava turned; Fen hoped that the former still recognised him. The Vibrava skimmed low across the ground, blowing a tornado of sand into his path. It blinded him.

He tried stepping backwards, but something solid pushed him back. He looked around, though it burned his eyes to do so; a sand vortex surrounded him, its winds too strong to even let him move.

He managed to locate the Vibrava ahead. Its wings had slowed, but they were quickly whirring back to speed. It breathed more blue hotness, but Fen managed to keep it at bay with his own fire. Then the blue disappeared and the Vibrava flew towards him. Fen’s arms could barely move; he couldn’t beat it away, which made it lucky, in a way, that the Vibrava decided to bite him.

Its teeth sunk into his shoulder, which he felt immediately. “RYU!” Fen cried.

He couldn’t throw it off, so with the little strength he could muster, he grabbed onto the creature’s body with both arms, holding it in place. His eyes watered with pain now, vision flickering. _Please, please hear me Ryu!_

Suddenly, there was a rush of air to his side, a crunch of bones, and the pain receded. Fen collapsed to his knees in relief.

Having just crushed most of the Vibrava’s exoskeleton, Ryu looked eagerly for something else to attack. What he didn’t expect was a vine to shoot out of the sandstorm and pull at the knot on his neck.

He growled and fended the vine away, but another one quickly arrived, and together they pulled enough to undo the knot and send the scarf to the floor.

Ryu stood very still. It took a second to remember how it felt to think.

“I… oh, fuck,” he muttered. He retrieved the scarf. He hadn’t paid Faoz’s warnings too much heed when she explained what it did; he certainly knew now.

“Could one of you give me a hand?” Savi called out. Ryu could just make out his green figure through the dust. Next to him Fen picked himself up, plucking out a small tooth lodged in his shoulder. The Vibrava thankfully hadn’t bitten too deeply.

The other Sandslash was unconscious, a few metres from Savi. Ryu undid Savi’s scarf, restored all three of them into his bag, and then they gave a collective sigh of relief.

Savi spoke first. “That went pretty well, given the circumstances?”

“Well enough,” Fen said. “Certainly better than if we hadn’t had a strategy. Or the scarves.”

“Yeah…” Savi shook his head. “Those scarves are powerful, alright. It took me a second to get used to. How did you find them?”

“I’d worn that one before, so it wasn’t so much of a shock.”

Ryu groaned. “Looking back, I hate it. Feels like someone else did all those punches.” He shrugged. “Can’t complain about the result though, even if Fen suffered a bit.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Savi said. “I think I left you both too much to do…”

Ryu chuckled a little, and Savi turned to him. “What?”

“Well, I don’t know, you come across like the most timid ‘mon ever, Savi, but whenever we get into a fight you turn into this crazy, vine-wielding thing. I’m not saying it’s bad!” he added at Savi’s confused look. “But you shouldn’t apologise for anything. You were unreal. Especially given how bad the conditions are. From now on I think me and Fen should just stand guard while you take care of all the wilds. Seriously, what makes you fight like that?”

Savi smiled, though he looked at the floor. “Probably something innate,” he murmured. “Maybe my parents had something. I don’t know.”

Ryu’s eyelids raised. “Did you ever ask them?”

“No... I can’t really ask them.”

“Well, obviously not while we’re _here_ , but–”

“No, I mean–” Savi sighed, “I don’t _know_ my parents. At all. Was abandoned at birth.”

Silence. Ryu blinked at him. “Mew, really? How’d you, uh… survive that?”

“Well, I was lucky. A Shinx happened to be wandering around nearby, and I got adopted from there,” Savi said. He smiled at their looks of shock and sympathy. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I don’t even remember those days, I was tiny. Just saying that that might explain… the fighting thing, y’know?”

“Yeah… okay.” Ryu patted Savi’s bud slowly. “Well, we’re glad you could make it.”

Savi chuckled. Fen asked him, “Is that sort of thing… common in Kyunn? That a Pokémon gets adopted like you?” He remembered a Fire at Arkan wondering if he was the same, after he’d been vague about his own family.

Savi shrugged. “Occasionally, I guess. Not sure.”

“And that Shinx that found you, was that…”

“Yeah, of course.” Savi’s eyes glinted at that.  

Even when they set off again, Fen struggled to get the image of Savi as a tiny, starved Bulbasaur out of his mind. But he’d never respected the ‘mon so much.

As night arrived the desert became as cold as anywhere Fen could remember. A sand dune was the only form of shelter available, along with the umbrella, and he suffered a fitful sleep. The sun and sandstorms the next day were similarly unrelenting. It was a huge relief that the few wilds they encountered were alone, and they didn’t require the scarves again.

In the late afternoon, there was respite. First they met trees, then thin wisps of grass, and finally, to the relief of their dry mouths and empty flask, a river.

Unfortunately, solving that problem only seemed to emphasise their other: food. Until the desert they’d relied upon rationing out the nuts and berries still left in Ryu’s bag. But once this was used up, and it was clear that their chances of finding any food in the sandstorms was virtually impossible, they had little choice but to go hungry.

Those hours without food soon stretched into days. The effects were as bad as Fen had feared. They met a Mightyena the day after leaving the desert, whose every snap of its jaws seemed intent on hurting. Fighting it off should have been simple, but the hunger was sapping Fen’s instincts too; he felt a second slower in every regard, and even breathing fire was more difficult than it had been for a long while. They were desperately careful to avoid fights from thereon.

He could tell Ryu was struggling just as much as him, though the Riolu refused to say anything negative. He walked on the soles of his feet as opposed to the tips, and had his tail permanently between his legs in the colder hours.

Savi had done most of the work fighting the Mightyena. He was the least hungry of them all, explaining that exposure to sunlight helped replenish his energy in a way similar to food. However, the Ivysaur’s body was not as used to such relentless travel. He nursed his sore legs whenever they took a break.

And, being out of the desert, the weather fluctuated as wildly as ever between hot and cold, calm and chaos.

The morning after a particularly harsh night, Ryu spoke up.

“We need to find food today. If not… we’re getting to the point where we’ll hardly be able to walk. Certainly not fight.”

Fen shook some frost off his fur. “You’re saying we should try hunting?”

It was to his regret that none of them had mentioned the problem to Faoz. When Zephia had been with them, they’d relied on her to hunt. But now that she was gone, they were stuck. Savi’s species were primarily herbivores, Fen couldn’t even stomach the act of hunting, much as he resented himself for it, and Ryu confessed that while his parents would have taught him eventually, they hadn’t before he’d run away.

“If every tree and shrub around continues being dead, we don’t have much choice,” Ryu said.

Fen reluctantly agreed. The weaker they were, the more difficult it would become to hunt, too. “If we still haven’t eaten by this evening, we’ll try,” he said.

But just a short time afterwards, continuing through the thick forestry the compass directed them to, their prayers seemed answered. They arrived at a huge, square clearing of trees at the peak of a hill. Inside was a sight which gave Fen a mix of apprehension and excitement.

There were collapsed houses and similar debris that had been all over Fallarbor Town. But in the centre of the clearing, though the forms were only specks, there were clearly humans. Probably two dozen of them, sitting on a circle of logs around a wood fire. A couple were holding silver objects that sparkled in the light. They had to be knives. And some sort of meat was being turned over the fire. Even from their distance it sent Fen’s stomach into knots.

The trio got low to the floor, so just their eyes peeked over the hill.

“This must be the town Takao mentioned,” Fen whispered. “Fortree. We’re on the right path.”

Ryu nodded. “You see they have food?”

“I noticed, yes.”

A nervous moment passed. All three pairs of eyes were fixed on the scene ahead.

Then Ryu added, “Are we gonna steal it, or what?”


	21. Mismatch

Savi hummed, unconvinced. "Stealing it might be difficult… there's a lot of humans there. Looks like they have more of their knives, too."

"But if that's  _all_ they have…" Ryu mused. "We can't fight at full tilt, but if we found a way to separate them to just a few… we'd be faster than them, at least. That's what Zephia told us once."

"Those humans in the first town were terrified whenever we moved," Savi added. "So it would make sense."

"Right! Exactly. All we need to do is come up with a decent strategy. You could put a load of them to sleep on your own, right Savi?"

"Some of them, at least… I doubt the powder would reach them all."

"That's cool." Ryu waved a dismissive paw. "Either me or Fen could distract the rest of them, I s'pose, so the other can grab the food…? Fen, you're the expert, what do you…"

Ryu stopped as Fen turned to him, astonished. "Why – why do we have to steal it?" he demanded.

Ryu blinked at him. "Because we're dying of starvation?"

"But they're almost certainly starving, too!"

Ryu glanced doubtfully between him and the human group. "Maybe. But we don't know for sure…"

"Okay, even if they're not starving, just  _look_  at them. Their town's destroyed, they're sitting on logs… they're in a pretty desperate state, aren't they? And they're still  _people_! It's no different than if they were a group of lost, surviving 'mon."

"But Ryu's right," Savi said. "We need food, somehow. If we're just going to pass this place by…"

"I'm not advocating  _that_ ," Fen said quickly. "I just want to talk to the humans. Like at Fallarbor. We don't have to steal; if we tell them why we're here, convince them that we need help… they won't be able to come with us, that would be too dangerous, but they could share some of their food."

_And I might learn something vital from them,_ he thought.

Ryu considered for a while, but then shook his head. "That would make things more dangerous."

" _More_ dangerous? How?"

"Because we'll be standing right next to the humans, basically at their mercy. Instead of if we, like, split ourselves up to bypass them easier."

Fen scowled, unable to think of an immediate answer. Like Ryu, his stomach was crying out for something to eat, but to do it like this, tempting though it was… no! He couldn't bear the thought that they'd starve these people by stealing from them. He wouldn't do it.

"I'm talking to them," he said firmly. "I know I can make it work. They won't expect a Pokémon to walk up to them and write a message on paper, in their language. Show them…"

He started thinking out loud. "Show them that we're intelligent. Not feral. Use the umbrella. Walk like civilised 'mon would, more upright, not hunched like we're about to attack."

Ryu looked at him again, considering, but the moment he opened his mouth there came a thudding of footsteps ahead. Their heads turned at once.

Nothing had changed, except the humans had also stopped and were staring to their right. Fen's position meant he couldn't follow their line of sight, but it became clear moments later what was there.

They weren't footsteps, but hooves. Five brown-furred creatures were suddenly charging towards the human group. The biggest of them was as tall as a human and two or three times as broad. Only one Pokémon was noticeably smaller than the rest.

They slowed to a halt at about 10 metres away, and all roared at once. More than half of the human group fled right then, running behind buildings blocking Fen's view. None of the Pokémon followed, though.

The most advanced of their herd flicked its head downwards at the fire with the bundle of red meat over it, and Fen realised that, feral as they were, these 'mon had the very same intention they did. Some of the remaining humans realised their intention; someone hastily tipped a bucket of water over the fire, and others got into a rough semi-circle around the food. All of them carried knives. They weren't giving it up without a fight.

"Tauros," Savi gasped. "Oh… oh Mew. They're crazy at the best of times…"

Fen had the same thought. What could  _he_  do about this? For starters, they were a long way from the impending battle. And if they ran into it… could they fight off the Tauros? He doubted it, even with their scarves. Could they do it with the humans' assistance? It was still extremely risky, and the humans might believe them to be feral and attack before they could help.

He didn't have time to decide, as the lead Tauros suddenly charged forwards.

Remarkably, a lone human ran straight back at it and swung a long knife at its face. The Tauros narrowly swerved away, then cycled back on itself. It roared again, and this time the rest of its herd followed it into battle.

There appeared to be no contest. The first human was charged at by two Tauros, both kicking him into the ground. Another was sent flying by a snap of a Tauros' horns. A few still stood bravely, defending the food, but Fen was silently pleading that they give it up to spare themselves.

Then something extraordinary happened. One of the furthest humans broke away from the group and hurled a knife forwards. It looped up unsteadily, yet when it came down it met the smallest Tauros right in its eye. The 'mon's legs instantly bucked, and gave a wounded cry that Fen felt even from their hiding place.

The other Tauros were stunned by this stroke of misfortune, and the humans took advantage. Three of them attacked the injured Tauros as it writhed and kicked, blind, on the ground. By the time two of its herd roared back to life and kicked at the humans, the wounded 'mon had stopped moving.

The humans backed away from them, and there was another stand-off. The Tauros crowded around their fallen comrade, while 10 or so humans stood firmly a few metres away. The herd pawed and kicked at the ground, suddenly hesitant. A couple made high-pitched whines.

_As feral as they are,_ Fen thought,  _they're not emotionless. Not stupid, either._

And what the herd did next proved it.

Three Tauros moved in front of their herd's leader, then they charged forwards in a horizontal line. Knives were desperately thrown and swung by the humans, but if they connected they made no difference. The three front-Tauros brute-forced a path to the food, but instead of picking it up only kicked at the humans defending it. When the final Tauros came up behind them, there were no humans left to fight. It carefully picked up the meat in its mouth, and the herd wheeled back around. They bowed heads at the dead Tauros again before running back into the trees, disappearing as swiftly as they had arrived.

All was silent. Fen heard his heavy breaths, Ryu and Savi's too, despite them not moving an inch.

"That was intense," Ryu remarked.

"Yeah," Fen murmured. He shook his head. "I'm glad the Tauros only wanted the food. I thought all those humans would be slaughtered."

"Me too," Ryu said. "They're pretty weak now, though. Weaker than before."

That was certainly true. Seemingly all the humans had been kicked or buffeted in some way, and that was from those who had even stayed to fight. Those that had run from the Tauros were yet to return. The only two humans they could see currently moving were examining the dead corpse.

Yet Fen frowned at Ryu's words. He gave the Riolu a suspicious look.

"What?" Ryu said at once.

"Why do you say they're weak, like it's a good thing?"

Ryu frowned; a sort of reluctant, sad frown. "You're not gonna like what I'm suggesting," he said. "But… I think that Tauros just became our food."

The thought had never crossed Fen's mind, but of course it made sense. The Tauros would have more than enough meat on it for them, possibly even more than what its herd had just stolen. But still…

"Think about it," Ryu added, "I  _know_ the humans just killed a Tauros. But that was one lucky throw, right?"

Fen was unable to disagree. He'd certainly been aware of the dangers of knives prior to this.

"It's less dangerous now, since all of them are injured. And we could definitely carry that Tauros, even if it's between us."

"But it's the same problem as before," Fen argued. "We're stealing food from them."

Ryu huffed, frustrated. "Is it really stealing? They just happened to kill it…"

"Whatever it  _counts_  as, I'd bet they would eat the Tauros if we didn't take it!"

"Guys," Savi interjected, "whatever we do, decide on it soon? Because waiting the first time around almost backfired…"

Fen glared at Ryu, who glared back. Rarely could Fen remember so much tension between them. He suspected the hunger was playing a major role; it took a major effort to keep himself composed.

"Let's  _try_ my way first," he said. "Talking to the humans. If it doesn't work… I'll guess we have to take the food. But we'll do that how  _I_  say. Alright?"

For a moment Ryu looked like he wanted to argue back, but he too seemed to suppress the urge. "Alright," he said, satisfied. "You talk to them. You have a plan for us too, I assume?"

"Yeah."

As he briefed them though, Fen couldn't help feeling worried. He was uncertain that this would work under any amount of planning.

Nevertheless, they shortly emerged from the clearing as one. Ryu carried the umbrella over them despite it only spitting with rain, while Fen's tail flame was at its smallest. Savi wore the evasion scarf, for two reasons: like the umbrella, it marked them as more intelligent, civilised. Plus it was the only scarf they could wear somewhat in advance, and they agreed that Savi's range made him their most useful attacker, if attack was what they needed, in such a 'utility' situation.

Fen also held a piece of paper and pencil in his hand, ready. Nothing was written yet; he would wait until the humans were close enough to do that. They might still doubt a Pokémon carrying a human message, but they couldn't if they  _saw_  him write it. That was his theory.

The town seemed to be grid-like in design, with rows of trees splitting roads and houses. Now that most of the trees had collapsed, virtually no houses had survived either, but the stacks of rubble blocking visibility made them proceed with caution. Fen recognised the shade of red on one building closest to their side of the clearing; this Pokémon Centre hadn't survived as miraculously as Fallarbor's.

They were still a long way away when one of the active humans pointed at them. More heads quickly turned. Fen hesitated momentarily, but gestured silently for the other two to continue.

_"Don't talk under any circumstances,"_ he'd told them. He had to assume the people would interpret any growl or bark as one of aggression.

But in the end, none of that mattered, as his worst fears were confirmed.

He'd been too far away to clearly see the human faces, but they'd been communicating too. At about 20 metres away, a group of them all jumped to their feet at once, most carrying knives. They sprinted towards him, making disturbingly Pokémon-like battles cries.

"Fen?!" Savi yelped. "What…"

Before Fen could think what to do, Ryu had decided. In a flash, he dropped the umbrella and bolted into the nearest human's legs. As they toppled over, another swiped at him with a knife. But Ryu was so small he could duck under it easily, and the man screamed as Ryu cracked a punch into his thigh.

As Fen turned to Savi, the Ivysaur was already equally busy; he cracked once human with his vines, then took a giant leap forwards to tackle another to the ground.

The attacked humans, having already taken a pummelling from the Tauros, had no chance of fighting back. Savi seemed possessed, the scarf letting him slash and tear through their challenges with ease and ruthlessness. The little chance they had of communicating with the humans was already over, Fen thought.

Still yet to move, he looked for Ryu again, but an instinct made him duck a second later. He heard a dull  _thud_  of an object hitting the ground. Then a human was suddenly running full pelt at him, arms flailing. His thoughts were scrambled between  _don't fight!_ and  _defend yourself!_ , and in the end he did something in between; grabbing hold of the man as he swung a fist wildly, easily faster than him, then tossing him over his shoulder.

Immediately he glanced backwards, but the man had only fallen heavily; nothing looked broken.  _Thank Arceus…_

In front of him, there were no humans left standing. Most were conscious, but they gazed at Ryu and Savi with both loathing and resignation. They knew it was over. Ryu and Savi stood among the wreckage, and the looks of satisfaction they wore made Fen lose his cool.

He screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? LET'S LEAVE!"

He ran to the Tauros, ordering Ryu to do the same, and picked it up between them. Then they ran east.

The clearing, or Fortree as it had been, seemed to stretch forever, a never-ending mess of rubble. He and Ryu started tiring in their hunger, but Fen refused to slow until they were back under trees and forestry. He needed the clearing out of his mind.

At last they reached the end of it, and soon settled down in a sheltered spot. Fen was both surprised and extremely relieved when Ryu said that he knew how to fillet the Tauros – 'I watched Zephia a few times' was all he said in explanation. Just carrying the dead 'mon had made Fen queasy in a way that only this sort of thing seemed able to do. They left Ryu with it while he and Savi built a small fire, so he had a means of cooking the thing.

But when the meat was finally prepared, and he'd roasted his share of it, he might've mistaken it for oran berries for how glorious its effects were. He could feel energy flowing back to him as he ate, and his stomach burned again with the warmth he hadn't realised how dearly he'd missed. For a moment, all his troubles were forgotten.

Ryu devoured the meat with similar joy. Savi, not carnivorous like them, merely rested at first. When Ryu offered him some he looked uncomfortable but, clearly hungry, he still ate a little. Ryu shared the rest between him and Fen. They felt stuffed by the end, but carrying the meat around in the bag wasn't an option given the events in Fortree.

"Well, that ended better than I could've hoped when we arrived," Ryu said cheerfully. "Hopefully we won't reach that kind of hunger point again, huh?"

Suddenly reminded of their actions, Fen sighed deeply. The concern over stealing wasn't even his biggest concern anymore. The way that Ryu and Savi had tossed the people aside so easily, without any restraint, bothered him greatly. It was strange… as soon as their attacks were used against  _people_ , not Pokémon, it all seemed… just horribly wrong.

"Ryu," he said hesitantly, "if we come across humans in the future… could you try not to attack them so violently?"

"…What?" Ryu blinked at him. "You're asking me… not to fight?"

"Well, no, but in those situations – okay, yes. Look, we got the Tauros in the end, but I'm sure we didn't have to take out so many humans in doing so. We could've run up and grabbed it as soon as there was a gap, and–"

Ryu looked at Fen as if he was speaking a different language. "They had knives! And they attacked us first! What am I supposed to do? Why would I leave things up to chance, especially when it's important as this?"

"Well, you don't have to go in so strong–"

"And how is what I did even violent?" Ryu demanded. "You've seen me fight a million times and never found that wrong!"

"But that's with  _Pokémon_!" Fen exclaimed. "I told you before that humans aren't like 'mon. They don't fight each other all the time – their bodies aren't designed for it! Pokémon fight, humans don't. Pit a fully-grown human and any evolved 'mon against each other, and it'll be a mismatch. I just… I think it's unfair to fight them because of that. It's not right!"

There was a pause. "Even so, Fen," Savi said, "fighting's instinctual sometimes. When some 'mon's running at you – okay, it's not a 'mon, but they're still  _running_  – you want to fight back. That's how it is."

Ryu nodded vigorously to that, but added nothing more. Fen rubbed his face.

"What happened just made me really uncomfortable," he said, feeling feeble. "I can't be angry with either of you, because we got what we needed to, and that was the most important thing. Now, the only town we've got left is Lilycove. Let's hope we don't run into any more groups of humans before then."

Ryu nodded. "Alright. Your first plan was great though, Fen. I really wanted it to work out."

Fen shrugged. "It's passed now."

"Also…" Ryu shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I dropped the magic stick when I started fighting. Forgot to go back for it. Sorry about that."

_Ah, the magic stick…_  Fen smiled a little.

"That's okay, I'm sure we can find shelter without the umbrella. And I doubt we'll need to walk through more deserts and sandstorms."

He paused; was that genuine knowledge coming through to him, or just blind hope?  _Not like it matters. We'll walk through whatever it takes._

"At least you can stop reminding me what it's called," Ryu added cheerfully.

* * *

While there were indeed no deserts, the general terrain got noticeably worse over the following days. It had never been truly stable, but now there were puddles of water up to their necks. When there wasn't a clear path through these, a combination of Ryu, Savi and usually broken tree trunks were needed to help Fen across. Though Fen was sure his resistance to water had grown, especially since evolving, he didn't dare chance it. Being shoved into a river by their once enemy, Zephia, still haunted him.

Giant holes in the ground started appearing too, stretching deep into the earth's dark void. Savi's legs were so tired that he started using the evasion scarf for these areas of extra agility. But they learned very quickly that prolonged wearing of the scarf caused dizziness, which lasted several hours. Savi was given the night off watch that day, and the scarf was retired back for emergencies only.

On the third afternoon since Fortree, their dance across the terrain lead them to a high pier meeting a lake. On a rare flat surface, they sat down for a rest.

Fen inspected the side of the pier; there were some shapes of metal that when turned upright became a little hut, large enough to give them shelter. He guessed they had been stalls of some kind – the pier seemed a good sightseeing spot. The stalls were too big to carry, but he and Ryu broke off a piece to carry over their heads. It would do, especially since the previous night had been very wet and painful.

He gazed curiously at a structure facing the pier. It was like a tall, jagged mountain, except it stood entirely on its own in the middle of the lake; there was an identical pier to theirs in the very distance. The island-mountain wasn't completely natural, though. There were windows and doorways hidden among the black rock, and it was flat at the very top, forming a sort of altar. A thin mist covered this.

_If only I remembered what this mountain's about,_ Fen thought wistfully.  _Looks mysterious. It must've held some importance._

His eyes were suddenly drawn to movement in the water. It was odd; the ripples were minute, but they had no clear point of origin, and spread across the whole lake at almost the instant they appeared. He nudged Ryu, pointing this out, and Ryu too looked confused.

Then came a roar from underground, or no, Fen realised,  _two_ roars at once; one like the gurgles and shrieks of every sea creature in the world, and the other of such depth and power that the solid ground they stood on suddenly felt weak. He, Ryu and Savi shared glances, but no one moved. They felt petrified.

The mountain lake suddenly span like a whirlpool. It caught the mountain itself which was no match, its foundations tumbling into the water like building blocks. The spinning centre of the lake rose upwards, becoming 10 metres tall and twice as wide. Blinding yellow light shone inside the structure's peak, and though the water hid its glowing form, Fen knew what was inside.

The lake was still whirring to Kyogre's commands when to the opposite side of Fen, cracks began forming in the road and dirt. They spread and deepened in a matter of moments, then the most central fissure burst upwards and another flash of yellow appeared. A platform of earth as mighty as Kyogre's water was created. On it, Groudon stomped its feet, each causing tremors that made Fen cry out in pain.

Groudon roared again at Kyogre; the water parted around the sea Pokémon as it did the same. Then they stopped. For a moment, the world was still. It occurred to Fen that they stood in the very centre between these two gods, at their mercy. But all he could do was watch.

The water around Kyogre seemed to recede, but its form inflated and its yellow light became even more intense. Groudon slammed its arms into the earth, which glowed red and then suddenly burst open with lava. The lava morphed with its body and its size grew like Kyogre's did, as well as its yellow glow.

They attacked simultaneously. Water and lava spouted from their bodies, the two beams of blue and red colliding in the air above Fen. Great chunks of element broke off in the collision and scattered in all directions. Fen ducked behind the metal shelter, like Ryu and Savi, but it lasted seconds; a metre-long globule of lava cut through it like a knife through butter.

At that, some survival instinct forced the three of them to ignore their fear and run, but there was nowhere safe. A combination of Fen and Savi yanked Ryu back before a huge power line could fall on him. Then Fen tripped on a crack in the ground and tumbled into a stray puddle, submerging him. Once Ryu scrambled in and yanked him out, the Riolu looked in vain for help. But they were hopeless. It felt like their bodies were being crushed under the gods' mere presence.

But then Kyogre suddenly cut off its water and ducked from its aquatic perch, sending Groudon's lava high above it. As Groudon hesitated, a new sound came from the sea Pokémon. From its mouth it fired continuous, glistening sheets of ice, which threw a freezing mist around the trio below. Much of the ice connected with Groudon, only evaporating on its scales. But the ice also spun left and right, encasing everything it met in giant glaciers. This time Fen was fortunate to be in the middle of the gods, for Kyogre didn't aim its stream downwards.

Then Groudon responded, white flames pouring from its jaws. Those hitting Kyogre or its lake sizzled and smoked furiously. Stray white jets hit trees which were instantly incinerated, and the lake-mountain, already damaged by Kyogre, was completely destroyed.

The two gods paused again. This time Groudon took two great steps on the earth before launching itself forwards. Kyogre flew down to meet it, riding a giant wave across land. With another joint cry the gods physically collided.

The tremor it caused almost wiped out Fen, but some desperate resolve kept him conscious. Groudon and Kyogre wrestled now, fins and claws lashing at each other – like any fight, only on a godly scale. However, they tired as the grappling went on. They reached the lake and Groudon suddenly fell straight through it. Still in its grip, Kyogre was dragged down too.

Their cries got quieter and quieter, until there was finally silence. The only noise was the three tiny Pokémon gasping. Slowly, Fen felt that awful pressure on him start to lift.

Ryu said, "When we saw them, flying on Shaice… it wasn't that bad, right?"

Fen couldn't think of anything to reply with, and it seemed Savi couldn't either. Fen got up, managing not to cry out with the strain it caused so many muscles. Ryu's question seemed rather trivial when he looked around.

Fissures had split the land around them like jigsaw pieces. Some areas were flooded; some were coated in lava; many were a collision of the two. Ice and lava alike filled the new holes in the ground at random. It made him think of one of those outlined drawings you got in children's colouring books, only this had been filled in with the wrong colours, and the child had ignored all the outline's contours and shapes. And they'd miraculously landed on one of the only bits of land that had been coloured in correctly.

Fen tore his eyes away. "Don't bother worrying about that," he said to Ryu. "This is Groudon and Kyogre we're talking about. Things have been bad from the moment they woke. Now c'mon, we should keep moving. Need to be walking on more stable land, before another storm or something arrives."

He turned and forced his legs to move again. But he quickly noticed, for he'd unknowingly become so used to the sound of their footsteps, that neither Ryu or Savi followed.

"Guys?" he asked. They both still lay flat on the ground. "Are you injured?"

He saw Ryu and Savi exchange a glance. The sadness in their faces was alarming.

Then Savi looked up at Fen, and it took a few seconds for him to finally speak.

"Fen, have you ever thought that we might be… well, hopelessly outmatched here?"

He turned back to where Groudon and Kyogre had stood in front of them. "I mean, when  _that_ happens, I just think… what do we do? What  _can_ we do? We've been on our own here for so long, and no one seems able to help us, and my legs hurt  _so much,_ and, and… oh, I don't know…"

"Savi, look." Fen paused, thinking how best to phrase this. "We were always outmatched, alright? Thinking about that won't help at all. Though I don't know  _how_ yet, I'm certain that stopping this is within our power. I really do! I wouldn't have come here if I didn't believe so."

Savi still looked reluctant. He seemed almost shameful about something. Fen had a sudden thought.

"Say, do your legs hurt that badly?" he asked.

Savi blinked. "Well… yes actually, I can barely walk. It's agony. I said before that my body's not built for this sort of thing…"

"I can carry you on my shoulders for a bit. Can your forepaws grip well?"

"Wh-!" Savi looked startled at the suggestion. "You shouldn't! I mean, you've worked as hard as I have, and I'm heavier than you think–"

Fen smiled. "I know you're modest, but you need help. Besides, what we  _cannot do_ is stay where we are. Not only is it dangerous, in case the land floods or collapses, but just  _sitting_  here staring at this mess is gonna destroy us. I hate it as much as you. Ryu, you're not injured, are you?"

As he turned, Ryu got to his feet too. He shook his limbs, as if they needed recharging. "No, 'course not," he muttered. "And hey… I can give you a hand with Savi if it's too much. Can swap over the bag, y'know."

"I'm not sure I'd even fit on your shoulders, Ryu," Savi pointed out.

"Oh, true. Alright, well… my arms?" Ryu practically giggled then at the absurdity of the thought. Then Savi started laughing too.

"Look… what Fen said is right," Savi said, smiling a little. "Let's just get out of here first. I only need a little rest. Nothing's broken."

Fen pulled his tail in front of him so Savi wouldn't get burned as he grabbed on. The Ivysaur's legs were just long enough to get a good hold on his shoulders, but he wrapped both his vines underneath Fen's arms anyway, like a harness. The weight was substantial, but in a strange way that only made Fen relish the challenge more.

His words to Savi had been no lie. Their days of walking had given him plenty of time to reflect on matters, and the more he thought about how difficult their situation was, how strong the forces were that they were fighting against… the more convinced he was that they could stop them. That they  _had_ to stop them.

He had been put here for a reason, after all. Sure, there were many things he didn't understand yet, like why he'd woken up on Kyunn rather than Hoenn, or why all his memories had been wiped. But it could be no coincidence that his transformation had coincided with the start of Groudon and Kyogre's fighting. Or that he'd been directed, by the emotion attacks and visions, towards the site of it.

All the details around his life seemed impossible; but maybe that was the point, for stopping this fight appeared impossible too. He surely had something – some power, some hidden knowledge, whatever it was – that was the key, and they were so close to it now, so near Lilycove, that the only thing stopping them from reaching it was willpower. They'd already overcome so much in coming this far. That was why he couldn't accept Savi or Ryu admitting defeat.

"How're ya holding up?" Ryu asked, as they delicately plotted a route across.

"Alright for now," Fen said.

"I'll walk if you get too tired, anyway," Savi added. He glanced at Ryu. "I think I might've been wrong, you know. If I wrapped vines around your ears, they're big enough that you might be able to hold me up…"

Ryu frowned. "What d'you mean? My ears are small." He pointed to them.

"Huh? But I thought… the bits dangling from your head…"

"Oh… you mean my  _aura sensors?_  Mew…" Ryu huffed in mock anger, flicking the appendages. At least, Fen hoped it was mocking. "Why the hell does everyone think these are ears…?"

* * *

Once they passed the ruined land around them, there was nothing but endless, cracked road. They saw little reason to seek a more hidden route through trees, for the road was almost completely devoid of wilds. All they had for company were the cars that, though sporadic at first, quickly consumed every inch of road. All of them were empty, and few were in a driveable state.

Fen supposed that the cars, before being rusted or victim to falling debris, had been abandoned. He remembered the brief picture in his dream of cars speeding away from Lilycove. If everyone had attempted to flee like that, a pile-up of traffic was inevitable.

They did see the occasional human, but attempts to make even eye contact were useless. The way the humans bolted at the mere sight of their group reminded Fen of the weaker wilds in Smouldered Pass. It was like these lone humans saw themselves as prey to them. He longed to reassure them otherwise and rued his language limitations. If anything, he just wanted to ask,  _'where has everyone gone?'_

The weather was as awful as ever. But oddly, aside from that, the following days were some of their least challenging. They had few fights to deal with. The cars were very helpful for shelter, and through a team effort they ripped off a door to hold above Fen's head when the rain wouldn't relent. They even found food in the form of bags of potato crisps and dried fruit, which Ryu scented and dug up from a car boot.

And while the collective mood wasn't exactly joyous – their surroundings and constant exhaustion didn't leave much room for that – they were hopeful. Perhaps as hopeful as the three of them had been since landing in Hoenn.

They neared Lilycove quite suddenly. The city couldn't be called such a thing anymore, for almost every apartment block and corporate building that had filled its skyline had gone. That meant that when the trio reached a slight hill, leading into the dense streets, Fen got a good view of the sea behind it. And he knew immediately that this was it.

"This is the city," he murmured. "This is where the dream happened. We've made it."

He turned to Ryu and Savi, but neither 'mon's looks mirrored the relief on his face. Rather, they seemed confused.

"Well, okay… now what?" Ryu said. "Have you remembered something?"

For a moment Fen was confused too. Other than the recognition of this place, his memory was as broken as ever. Then he remembered what had led them here.

"The dream. We need to find it."

It had started in that big field, with a metal gate those Pokémon had run out of. Yet as he looked at the huge city beckoning, he felt a wave of anxiety. Lilycove itself was miles long. How could he possibly find such a specific place?

He closed his eyes briefly, and suddenly the pictures from his dream became crystal clear. He realised there was more that he knew. Cars were moving to his left, away from the sea – for that to be true he must've been to the right of the road. He was much closer to the sea itself, and had run down a footpath towards it, which was just outside the field.  _Look near the sea, for a field leading into a footpath towards it, on the right-hand side of Lilycove…_

He ran through the town now, scarcely explaining his plan to Ryu and Savi. He could almost feel this location beckoning him, pulling him close. They did have to pause for a second, when the ground was split by a fissure so deep that it reached the sea underneath. Luckily, that gap was small enough to jump across.

When Fen found himself in front of a small, detached house, something made him stop. At first he wasn't sure why, for it was as dilapidated as anywhere around; what were surely once well-kept flower beds around the driveway had long wilted. Then he saw a sturdy-looking metal gate to the left of the house.

"The gate!" he exclaimed. It was open, and running through revealed what he knew was there; a huge field of now overgrown grass. He turned left, and  _there_ was that exact view of the sea from his dream.

_Now what?_  He looked towards the gate again. Walking back out of it, he looked to his right, and the winding path he remembered was still intact.

"Fen!" Ryu moaned. "Could you at least explain why we're running in circles?"

Fen wheeled round to them. "I was running somewhere in my dream… it started in the field, then up this footpath, but I woke up before I could find out where that lead… something important must be there."

Ryu just gave an "if you say so" kind of look.

Fen walked slowly through the footpath. It seemed to last an eternity now. It eventually led to a series of ledges, which gave way to thin grass, then sand…

He stopped.  _Sand!_ He hadn't reached sand in his dream, but he somehow knew this was right. He walked forwards a little more then something caught his eye, standing out amongst the waves of tan.

Lying in the sand was a tiny figure, barely a third of his height. Its body was a strange, elongated shape, and was entirely grey except for three points of red. Glowing faintly, they had the look of jewels. One was in the creature's head and the others were at the tips of two long, thin appendages that wound around its body. It didn't move, and showed no signs of life at all other than the glowing jewels.

Fen had never seen such a Pokémon before. Neither, judging by their baffled looks, had Ryu or Savi. Was this what they were searching for? It certainly didn't look like a normal wild.

Fen carefully kneeled over the figure. "Hello?"

No response. The Pokémon's jewels kept catching his eye though, so on an impulse he reached out with a finger – even this dwarfed the jewel in size – and touched the one in its head.

The moment he did, the jewel burst into blinding light. Fen recoiled, but found his hand wouldn't move away.

"W-what's going on?" Ryu yelped. "Fen, you're glowing!"

It was true: every inch of him was covered in a film of whiteness, which seemed to push itself into the fingertip touching the jewel. It felt like something leaving him, but whatever it was didn't sap his energy. It was like a part of him he'd never been aware of. The jewel Pokémon glowed too, but her whole body was changing; it was growing and becoming brighter, especially around her head.

The glowing stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The pressure on Fen's body lifted, and he gasped, yanking his finger away. The creature's head had pinkened slightly, and the rest of its body turned a pale blue. Then its eyes flickered and opened: a luminous, electrifying yellow. Fen instinctively backed away, and a moment later it suddenly flew upwards, high into the sky. As it spiralled around it made an extraordinary, ethereal cry. Never had Fen heard anything like it, and never did he think he would again. But its meaning was clear: a sound of pure joy, relief.

Once the cry faded, the Pokémon descended until it hovered just above the sand in front of them.

A voice rung through Fen's head; a female one, sounding strangely youthful and old at once.  _"I apologise for my burst then, it must have shocked you,"_ it said.  _"It is simply a wonder to experience my own body again. And it's only thanks to you that I can."_

Fen had no idea how to respond. His head was spinning. What did he just do? Who was this Pokémon?

_"Again, my apologies,"_ the voice said. He was certain this tiny floating Pokémon was the source of it now.  _"I imagine you have questions."_

Fen momentarily averted his gaze from the floating 'mon, which was difficult to do. Behind, either side of him, Ryu looked wary, fists raised in front of him. Savi was low to the ground, his grass fronds covering his body. Though his face didn't show it, those were tell-tale signs that he was scared. Fen still felt like his tongue was tied. What was wrong with him?

"Hey, Savi," Ryu said, stepping over to be beside him. "It's just telepathy, 'mon. Won't hurt you."

Savi muttered something to him. Ryu nodded, then spoke to the floating 'mon. "Who are you? And could you start speaking to us normally?"

Though the Pokémon smiled, Fen sensed a great sadness from it.

_"My name is Mesprit,"_ she said.  _"Unfortunately, until I have fully–"_

"Mesprit?!" Ryu blurted. For a few seconds his mouth just opened and closed, unsuccessfully. " _You're…_ you're Mesprit? But, you're like… you're mythical…. and you were lying in the sand, you looked–"

_"I was not dead,"_ Mesprit said.  _"But, until the recovery just made, I was weak. And I am not yet strong enough to speak auditorily, otherwise I would. Savi,"_ she glanced at him, _"I may have misjudged the strength of my signal. I will attempt to reduce it, or I can simply exclude you from the signals if you would prefer."_

Savi had jumped at hearing his own name, but quickly composed himself. "I-I'll get used to it," he said. "I'll try to…"

_"Very well–"_

"Hold on. Why  _did_  you just make a recovery?" Ryu asked, voice getting increasingly higher. He put a paw on Fen's shoulder. "What did Fen do? He did something to you, didn't he? And that must be why you know who we are?"

Mesprit paused for a moment.

Fen's mind had been racing throughout Ryu's exchange. Like Ryu, he couldn't comprehend the strange, beautiful thing that touching Mesprit had triggered. He'd never had the ability to heal Pokémon; yet he'd seen, and Mesprit had as good as told him directly, that he had not only healed her, but  _revived_  her. Revived a mythical Pokémon!

And there was an oddity even beyond that. Like Savi, he was vulnerable to Psychic techniques, one of which was telepathy. Savi seemed overwhelmed by Mesprit's power, and Fen felt that power too, but it wasn't intimidating at all. The energy emanating from her words… somehow felt familiar, even  _comforting_. It wasn't like any Psychic attack he'd faced. Nor the other time he'd been spoken to telepathically – then the presence in his mind was most definitely foreign.

…Who was it that had spoken then?

"Mesprit?" he ventured in her silence.

_"Yes?"_ she answered immediately.

Fen stopped himself before a question could be formed, putting a hand to his mouth. He yelped. He'd been about to speak telepathically to her. He'd  _just spoken_ telepathically to her! But how? He couldn't do that consciously! He'd wanted to before, when Rycaro had spoken to him, but–

_Rycaro!_ That was who it was! He remembered the precise words of Ryu's father now, back at Mt. Aura. In sensing his aura, Rycaro had found it unusual.  _"It bears the mark of something else; a power far greater than your own."_

That had puzzled him, but he'd concluded that the 'greater power' was most likely just whatever human part of his mind Rycaro could sense. He'd not dwelt on the message; in fact, he'd forgotten about it. But it had never quite added up. Why would his human mind be so much more powerful than that of the Pokémon around him? He wasn't intellectually superior over them. He was less wise than Faoz, and less cunning than Zephia.

Then he remembered something else Rycaro had said. When he'd recounted his emotion attacks – for there had been no visions up to then – Rycaro likened it to the stories of myths.  _"It makes one wonder if similar forces might be guiding your path."_ The emotion attacks, the visions, they  _had_ guided him to this very spot. But could this Mesprit have done that? Hadn't she just been lying dead in the sand? It didn't make sense…

_"Fen, please, I need you to be calm,"_ Mesprit said.

The timing of her words, knocking his thought process, agitated him even more.

"Are you–" he made sure he spoke aloud, "Are you reading my thoughts, now?"

_"No! I wouldn't dare to!"_ There was a sudden anxiety in Mesprit's energy, too.  _"I can sense your emotions, that is all. Psychic communication requires a clear mind, otherwise the agitated party will block themselves off from receiving messages. I know it is difficult, but your emotions must be stable for us to speak."_

Confused as he was, Fen was prepared to trust the word of a mythical Pokémon. Especially after her own flash of emotion. He waited a few seconds for his emotions to calm, like she said.

"I'll try," he said.

_"Thank you."_

"But, Mesprit…"

_"Yes?"_

"Am I right that… we have a kind of link with each other? That's how you were able to give me the emotion attacks, and the visions which led here, and the belief in me to trust those things. Right?"

Mesprit bowed her head.  _"A link, yes."_

Fen's heartbeat tripled upon hearing it confirmed. "Then, does that mean… you know my memories?"

_"Yes,"_ Mesprit said again, without hesitation.  _"And your deductions are correct… If you wish, I can help you remember them."_


	22. Partner

This was it. Mesprit had the answers to the questions haunting him from the moment he'd woken up a Chimchar. The questions that had influenced deciding to look for the Absol, and most definitely influenced travelling to Hoenn.

It made sense, in a funny sort of way, that only a mythical Pokémon should be able to explain. He would've been surprised if it was anything less unusual. And yet…

 _'If you wish, I can help you remember them,'_ she'd said.

If you wish…?

"O-of course I want to remember them!" Fen said. "That's… it's the one thing I've been searching for since all of this… happened." Suddenly his mouth was tripping over itself. He might've tried speaking with his thoughts again, but the agitation he felt seemed to muddle them too.

 _"I understand,"_ Mesprit said. She seemed to know he had more to say, so he went on.

"But, why does it sound like you're… warning me getting them?"

Mesprit bowed her head.  _"I must be honest with you. Restoring all your memories, as I assume you want me to do, would be dangerous. I am not afraid that the procedure itself may fail, or harm your memories more, or anything of that nature. But receiving so many memories at once may overwhelm you, especially given some of them are of a sensitive nature. I… worry how you might respond to them."_

A small 'Okay' was all Fen could respond with.

_"So, I feel there are two options I can give regarding your memories. The first is to restore every one you have."_

"Which… comes with all those risks?"

_"Correct. The second option is to restore about ninety-nine percent of your memories; enough for you to remember a great deal of your life, except the most sensitive parts. So, many questions you have about your life will be answered, but not all."_

Fen's head was spinning again. What kind of choice was this? Remember almost all of his life, or risk going insane by remembering it all? What  _was_ it in his memories that was so bad? He wasn't sure he bought Mesprit's excuse about remembering too much at once… but could  _Mesprit_ lie to him?

"Mesprit, could I ask something?" Ryu said.

It made Fen jump, for he'd completely forgotten he and Mesprit weren't alone. He sensed a little surprise from Mesprit too as she turned to Ryu.

_"Of course. What is it?"_

"How important are these memories in the one percent you don't want Fen to know? Or, what exactly  _wouldn't_  he know, if he took your second option?"

Mesprit frowned.  _"That depends on–"_

"What about, how he became a Pokémon?" Ryu cut in. "Or why he lost his memories at all?"

Fen was in awe of Ryu's directness, but very grateful too. Mesprit looked solemnly at them.  _"Those, Fen would not know unless he had all his memories."_

This made matters clearer, but didn't ease Fen's worries.  _Either take a risk and know the answers to the questions I've asked the most… or choose to protect myself and keep them a mystery._ He shook his head. It was like playing a high-stakes game where he was the commodity being gambled.

Ryu glanced at him. Fen couldn't show much more than uncertainty, but the anger on Ryu's face startled him. The Riolu spoke again before he could respond.

"I have another question," he said to Mesprit.

_"Yes?"_

"How much control do you have over Fen's memories? Seems like quite a lot, if you can choose how much of them to restore? I mean, no one could work out how he'd suffered such severe amnesia, and he only ever remembered things that weren't personal. Isn't that strange,  _unnatural_ , like something only–"

"Ryu!" Fen exclaimed, stopping him. How could he accuse Mesprit so aggressively? For one, they had no idea what she was capable of; they had to be careful. And also… he couldn't believe what Ryu was saying. Mesprit said she was here to help them. She had to be!

 _"I understand your suspicions,"_ Mesprit began,  _"but–"_

"No!" Ryu cried. "How can you just – give and take away memories like this?! What the hell do you want with him?"

_"LISTEN TO ME!"_

Mesprit's mental voice seemed to acquire a megaphone, her jewels glowing as she spoke. Ryu was silenced, and she gave Savi a quick nod of apology after he yelped.

_"It impresses me that you are not quick to trust, Ryu. I promise you that I had no part in erasing Fen's memories, but I cannot prove anything without revealing some of those memories. Nevertheless, there is something else which may persuade you that I'm on your side. Like you, I am desperate to stop Groudon and Kyogre. And I know how you can find Rayquaza."_

That made them pause. Fen had almost forgotten what their main goal was.

"You… Rayquaza… is out there?" Ryu said weakly.

_"Of course."_

"Why… why haven't you talked to Rayquaza already, if you know where he is?" Fen asked.

_"That… is linked with events many eons ago."_

"Explain then, so we know what you mean," Ryu said.

Fen gave him another worried glance, but Mesprit didn't flinch. With a little flick of her head, she began.

_"Originally, Groudon and Kyogre existed to shape the continents and oceans of Earth. Both desired as much of their element as possible, and so Rayquaza acted as a mediator between them, making sure the world was balanced. But once that was finished, Rayquaza set Groudon and Kyogre to rest deep within the earth, while he rose into the skies._

_"Some time later, an immense meteorite struck Earth. The cracks and tremors it sent through the land and seas were so strong that Groudon and Kyogre's slumbering forms were re-awakened. But this time Rayquaza was not there control them._

_"For a while they fought, just as they are doing now, bringing devastation upon nature. Everyone was terrified; myself, Uxie, Azelf and many other powerful beings were no match for their power. Eventually, we collectively called for Rayquaza to calm Groudon and Kyogre again._

_"And once again, Rayquaza was able to do so. But… the ages of peace gone by seemed to make him selfish. He was furious with being woken. He demanded that, in return for his great service, those of us that called to him helped build a fortress in the sky, from where he would be impossible to disturb. Every one of us that helped construct the fortress is prevented from entering."_

"Hang on, you  _allowed_  this to happen?" Ryu said disbelievingly. "You let Rayquaza seal himself away to a place you can never reach?!"

Mesprit's eyes flashed.  _"It's not easy for you to understand. I have been alive eons; your lifetimes pass in a blink of my eyes. But despite this, I am_ not _immortal. The only things that could kill me are the actions of other beings equal or greater to my power. Rayquaza is one of the latter. If your life was threatened so, I am sure you would protect it just as fervently."_

"But weren't you worried that Groudon and Kyogre might come back?" Ryu challenged.

_"No; Rayquaza assured us they would not awaken for a third time. Yet clearly they have. By the actions of humans, it seems. Rayquaza was not as careful as we thought in sealing them away."_

"That's what we heard too, about the humans," Fen said, then paused. "Mesprit, how much do you know about what's going on?"

_"Only as much as you. I have, after all, only been able to see things through your eyes until now."_

"Wh – what?!" Ryu exploded. "What does that even mean? How–"

"Ryu!" Fen said, gripping the Riolu's arm to calm him.  _Your directness is very valuable, but only up to a point…_

"Mesprit, there's still much I –  _we_  – don't understand," Fen continued. "Are you saying that you're here to guide us to Rayquaza, because you can't get to him yourself?"

_"Yes."_

Fen blinked. He wanted a straight answer, but didn't expect one  _that_ straight.

"Well, why then? Why us? Couldn't you have chosen anyone in the world?"

_"While I don't wish to be vague with you, answering that question would trigger your memories. I gave you two choices. Unless you wish to continue without any action, which you may do also, I suggest you choose. Otherwise, my abilities to answer you are limited."_

"You can take us to Rayquaza right now, then?" Savi said suddenly. The others' heads spun in his direction, but he looked back at them defiantly. "Isn't that… what you're saying, Mesprit?"

 _"Sadly, no,"_ Mesprit said.  _"Not yet. I am not currently at full strength, and will need all of it to teleport you to the fortresses' entrance. I am recovering quickly though. I estimate… about 24 hours before I am ready. However, even then meeting Rayquaza will not be as simple as walking through an entrance. The barriers we created allow ordinary Pokémon to enter, but once inside they are subjected to a series of trials. I myself am not exactly sure what will await, given the small part I played in them. And I will be unable to give you any kind of guidance once you enter."_

Fen didn't find this too intimidating. Previous experience, from being a Pokémon at least, had taught that things rarely came easily to him. Obviously meeting Rayquaza would be no different.

"Would knowing all these memories help us in getting to Rayquaza?" Fen said. "Aside from just… the knowing of them…?"

_"Truthfully, I don't know. It could help you, it could hinder you."_

"Is there anything else you can tell us before I make a decision, which might help?"

 _"Nothing comes to mind. Sorry."_ Mesprit's responses were unnervingly quick at times; Fen hoped that was due to some superior mythical-intellect.

Fen glanced at the 'mon alongside him. "Can I discuss this for a moment?"

_"Of course."_

Ryu was already next to him, keeping one eye on Mesprit, and he beckoned Savi over, who was stood a few paces back.

"What do you think?" Fen asked them.

" _I_ want to know everything," Ryu said. "And I think you deserve to, too. If Mesprit's telling us the truth–"

"Could you stop being so suspicious? We  _have_  to trust her. If we don't, we may as well give up everything. She can take us to Rayquaza!"

Ryu frowned. "Okay, well… do you want to do anything? We only really need to wait for her to recover."

"No," Fen said at once. "I… I need to at least know something. I mean, finding Rayquaza… it's possible that we'll die. And we can't predict what might happen after we talk to him. This might be the only chance I ever get to know."

"Then take it! C'mon, you've always thought that what happened to you is linked with the whole state of things here. You might learn something amazing that helps us!"

"I agree, but…" Fen chewed his lip. "I don't get what Mesprit's saying. She said knowing might help me, but might not… but it must! You're right, I feel like the gaps in my memory are all that's been stopping me understanding everything fully. But… if not, then…" He groaned and shook his head. "I just don't know. There's too many ambiguities."

Ryu glanced at Savi. "What do you think, 'mon?"

"Well… I don't think it's my place to advise," Savi said. "Fen, Ryu understands you far more than I think I ever will. You should listen to him. But if I had to give any advice, for a situation as unique as this… just choose what's in your heart? I mean, that's terrible advice, but–"

"No, I agree," Ryu said. "This is your life, isn't it? I can't make decisions for you. And look… whatever happens, 'mon, however these memories affect you… I'll still be here for ya. We both will. Always."

And with that, Fen's mind was made up.

"I'll go for it," he whispered to them. He was about to turn back to Mesprit, but paused. They needed something to mark the occasion, he thought.

He'd never initiated a Fighter greeting before – admittedly he hadn't had much opportunity to since evolving. But when he held the open hand in front of him, Ryu grinned and returned the greeting with fervour.

"Thanks, bud," Fen said.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryu muttered. " _You're welcome,_  and that."

"Give me a vine, Savi?" Fen asked, turning to him.

"I think this needs  _two_ ," Savi replied, snapping both appendages out for Fen to grip, which they laughed at.

Finally, the three of them turned back to Mesprit, and Fen said, "Everything."

Mesprit's face didn't move.  _She probably knew already,_ he thought.

 _"Very well,"_ Mesprit said. _"Before I begin you must still your mind. I would suggest closing your eyes. Try fixing a single image in your mind and concentrating all your thoughts on it. I will not begin until your mind is stable enough."_

There was one thought that Fen figured could calm him above all else. "Can I move my tail closer?" he asked.

_"Yes, if it helps you."_

He moved his tail and enlarged it so he could feel the fire wash over him. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of warmth.

 _"Good,"_ Mesprit said. Her Psychic voice had taken on an almost soothing quality now.

He felt a slight disturbance in the wind, then the tiny weight of two hands on his head. As light as they were, they exuded such a power that he barely managed to stop himself from recoiling.

_"Remain exactly as you are until I say so. I will now begin."_

With those words, her presence in his mind began to grow. He saw lights, no,  _images_ flash before his mind, but they moved too fast to make sense of. As per Mesprit's instruction, he tried restricting his mind to just the experience of fire. It didn't turn out to be difficult, for he felt like his whole consciousness was being squeezed into a tiny space.

This seemed to continue for a while. Then something suddenly shifted, like an old film skipping forwards. He panicked and instinctively tried to break his mind away, but Mesprit held him down somehow, though doing so made his head pound.

Then the pressure lifted. His eyes snapped open, but Mesprit was still in front of him. Nothing had changed.

He spluttered, "Mesprit, what–"

_"You have nothing to fear. It is finished. Your mind is safe."_

"It's… finished?"

_"Yes."_

"So, so… what happens now? What should I do?"

 _"Take a few deep breaths,"_ Mesprit said, soothing again.  _"Concentrate on your fire."_

Fen did so. His trembling limbs became a little calmer.

_"Good. Now try thinking back to the earliest memory you can remember."_

Well, that was easy; he wouldn't forget waking up in Cheri Forest, without a clue of where he was, in any hurry.

But no. Where previously his recollection ended at that forest, at the leaf brushing his face, now it was like a mental backdoor had opened. The second he moved through it he was assaulted with mental images, thoughts, emotions, words, senses. In his excitement he became lost, darting between memories like an excited child. But soon he lost sight of where he was. He panicked and opened his eyes again, escaping his mind.

 _Earliest memory._ If he looked for that, everything afterwards would fall into place. So he tried again, and this time got a clear image.

* * *

 

He was stumbling through a mass of people, hand held tightly by a much bigger person. She looked down at him and he saw kind eyes, a reassuring smile. His mother. In her other arm a boy some years older, but of similar looks and build. His brother, Stefan.

They sat down in a packed stadium. Some kind of exhibition match. The man nearest their end of the arena, tall and dark haired, threw a poké ball. An Aggron burst out and roared to the delight of the crowd. Later, during a break, the man turned around and waved to the three of them. It was his father, a well-renowned, if not quite world-beating Pokémon trainer.

The memories moved on. Lilycove, his hometown. A small but cosy house, on a hill overlooking the beach and sea beyond. Many afternoons of drinking hot chocolate and gazing at the blue expanse, wondering what lay in the distant lands on the horizon.

More memories of stadiums and roaring crowds. Many fond experiences with Stefan and their mother, but memories of talking to his father were few and far between. He competed in tournaments through most of the year, so could only stay sporadically.

Schooling. Nervousness at his first day. His name called on the register.  _Blake._ Blake Fenessy. The small but tight group of friends he formed. All were jealous of his father's exploits. Sleepovers spent staying up late, eating junk food and watching the regional Pokémon championships. Everyone given nicknames; his, Fen, after he jokingly pleaded they stop calling him by surname.

He and Stefan eagerly attending a holiday camp giving the basics of Pokémon training. Jealousy at being too young to handle Pokémon like his brother. Endless arguments with each other over which Pokémon they'd pick in their dream party, and how they would defeat each other.

A holiday to Sinnoh, a neighbouring region. Watching a match scheduled before his father was on, but it being abandoned after one of the trainers was accidently hurt.

At this point the cheerful, sunlight-esque sheen over his memories dimmed. He saw the offending Pokémon, a Feraligatr, shot with a tranquilising gun before being locked in a poké ball. His confusion and anguish as he was dragged out of the stadium by his brother.

With that began a growing discontent about how Pokémon were treated. Nights spent researching similar incidents to the Feraligatr. They were numerous, even common in the biggest championships, but excluded from media coverage. And it could  _never_ be the Pokémon's fault – they weren't designed to fight in such confined, controlled areas. They were being asked to do what they did in the wild.

Thinking for the first time about poké balls, and what they really did to a Pokémon's mind. Concerns bullishly brushed off by Stefan when he raised it one dinner; his mother explaining more sympathetically that this was just how things  _were_. But did that make it right?

Trying to ignore these feelings; he'd wanted to be a trainer all his life, why would such a small thing change that? Yet found he couldn't enjoy the championships as he used to. Began making excuses not to watch events with his friends.

Summer. On a walk through the woods, finding a young Cubone, injured, without a mask for its face. Running to the Lilycove Pokémon Centre with it in his arms. Relief that it could be healed. The nurse telling him that Cubone had no recognised trainer. Volunteering to look after it before he could stop himself. Naming him Cubbs. The Cubone's ecstasy when he managed to find a bone that fit its face.

A vast amount of memories with Cubbs. Being amazed at how well the Cubone understood his speech, and learning to decipher the 'mon's own sounds. Going on long walks together. Cubbs growing strong enough to start fighting wild Pokémon they came across. A trainer mistakenly throwing a poké ball at Cubbs, and his fury at them for it. He was told by numerous people to keep Cubbs stored, but refused them adamantly.

Realising that Pokémon were, in their own way, just as intelligent as humans. Subsequently refusing to eat meat, much to his family's bafflement. Cooking his own meals from then on.

Late school years. Career plans. Overhearing his friends talk about aspirations to work in Pokémon battling; two to be trainers, another in competitive breeding, another in the competitive pharmaceutical industry. His dismay at believing all of it to be cruel and unjust. Abruptly dropping contact with friends, perhaps unfairly. Rowing with Stefan soon afterwards, the day before his brother left for his formal trainer qualifications.

Memories of the final year of school being particularly blurry and grey, almost in black and white. Days missed where he was unable to get out of bed. Finally deciding halfway through the year to pursue a zoology degree, hoping to go into Pokémon conservation. He could think of nothing else that was bearable. Warned by teachers that his mediocre grades wouldn't be up to scratch. Long nights spent slaving over textbooks. Cubbs often turning the pages when he was struggling to stay awake. The Cubone being a personal alarm every morning.

Coming out of exams pleased, but learning his grades just fell short of Hearthome University, where he hoped to go. Difficult discussion with his mother. Eventually deciding to retake the following summer. Her vow to look after him for as long as it took him to succeed, and how grateful he felt for that.

Being visited by a woman working at a local Pokémon refuge centre. Later learning his mother had contacted her. The woman – Mary, her name was – offering part time work to supervise the centre's Pokémon. Agreeing even before his mother could ask what he got paid.

Mary showing him the field he was to watch over, giving some basic first aid and Pokémon-handling training. Spending almost every weekday working long hours in the refuge centre. Taking Cubbs along as he became too big to be left in the house alone. Learning to semi-communicate with each of the Pokémon, as he had done with Cubbs. Soon, their delight at seeing him arrive every morning. Feeling more content than he had in a long time.

From this sunny period in his memories, they suddenly darkened again. Watching the news with his mother. Hearing first of the discoveries made with the ancient rocks, then of the meteorite in Meteor Falls. Politicians voting on what to do, and the result being unanimously in favour of trying to wake them. Nearly breaking the TV remote in his anger and despair. Feeling horribly powerless.

Truckloads of workers being driven in to dry up the sea around the ancient rocks. Avoiding news about it as much as possible, continuing his work at the refuge centre. One morning hearing whispers around Lilycove that the workers had succeeded; whatever that meant.

Then his work suddenly being interrupted by a deafening roar. This memory was more vivid than any other, as if he had physically gone back there, to stand in the field. Looking towards the beach and seeing the sight he knew well, of Groudon and Kyogre. The ground crumbling wherever they moved.

Seeing the Pokémon he'd spent so long with, knew so well, panicking and running towards the danger, into surely certain death. Ignoring Mary as his emotions overcome rationality. Catching up with the Pokémon through the footpath to the beach. Finally gathering all of them together, telling them in shouts that they get as far away from Groudon and Kyogre as possible. About to run away with them when a flash of white caught his eye. Cubbs. The Cubone hadn't heard him.

The footpath fast running out. Falling down the last stretch then calling Cubbs' name again. The Cubone finally hearing him, turning towards him with sudden joy and relief in its eyes. Yet barely managing a step before Groudon erupted from the sea in front of them, barely 10 metres away. Seeing the monster's eyes glow and mouth expand. Running forwards, realising too late there was no way to avoid its attack, lunging to catch Cubbs in his arms, screaming something, the air turning red–

"NO!"

He opened his eyes again, panting. For a moment, seeing himself in the same exact place as in that memory made him check himself. But nothing had changed. He was a Monferno.

His heart was beating so loud that Ryu's concerned call of "Fen…?" sounded a long way away. Not that he was listening.

"W-what happened, Mesprit?" Fen gasped. "What happened then?"

She didn't answer through words. Instead he found himself in her perspective now, seeing her own memories.

_Groudon and Kyogre rising woke her. From the deep lake she resided in, she moved through flight and teleportation until reaching Lilycove. As the being of emotion, she felt the terror and anguish of everyone around, and it stirred her to act. She couldn't fight the weather gods alone, so she tried calling to her sisters Uxie and Azelf. Yet she could not reach them, and they did not appear._

_At first, she found the events impossible to fathom. But then she noticed the massed human machinery off the coast of Lilycove, the drained sea, and thought she understood. Now the humans fled helplessly, victims of the chaos they had manufactured._

_Still she waited vainly for her sisters. Then in the sea of bodies fleeing, she noticed a lone human chasing a lost, confused Cubone. The human ran perilously far in his attempts to catch it. From her anger and hatred for humans that had been building, this brave, selfless act made her stop. She found herself praying for the human to make it._

_But just as the Cubone was within reach of the human, Groudon burst in front of them._

_In the split-second before Groudon attacked, she felt such an extraordinary outpouring of emotion, of care, of love from this human, that she did the most irrational thing thinkable – intervene. She made a Psychic barrier and threw herself between the human and Groudon. Though she stopped Groudon's fire from hitting, the raw force of the attack was too much for the human. His bones were obliterated._

_Yet as the human's body failed him, something unforeseen happened. The human's soul broke from his body, a tiny, pure ball of light. She knew the soul would die in seconds, with the rest of him, if exposed to the fire. She was also weak from blocking an attack of such force. So she transferred what little energy she could into the soul, and made it speed far away from Hoenn, across the sea, to the only place she knew was safe – her home, Kyunn._

_Should the soul reach land, it would be reborn and its owner would return to its previous bodily state. But she realised that in the soul's weakness, by giving her own power to it, it would morph into something new. Hence the human was reborn, permanently, as a Pokémon._

Mesprit stopped there.

Fen both understood and didn't understand. Mesprit was right; learning so much at once was overwhelming. Not only in pure information, but in the emotions coming back… and the implications of it all…

He looked up the beach towards Lilycove. He recognised the city now, all right. Destroyed as it was, he'd still spent his life on these streets. And he knew where he wanted to go.

Sprinting away from the others, he swerved and dodged through empty and rubble-ridden passageways, taking every shortcut he remembered, until he saw the old, damaged but beautiful house on the hill ahead. No cars were in the driveway. He didn't slow until reaching the door. When that didn't open, he paused, made a silent apology, then wrenched it from its hinges.

* * *

 

Ryu had been too shocked at Fen's sudden bolt to pursue him. He watched the Monferno disappear into the mess of Lilycove, then turned his fear, bewilderment and anger onto Mesprit.

"What's happening?" Ryu demanded of her. "What did you do to him?"

 _"I only showed him his past,"_ Mesprit said. Her psychic voice wavered a little.  _"I was worried this would happen..."_

"But, Mesprit, he just  _ran off!_ Why aren't you doing anything to help? You know everything he knows, don't you?!"

 _"I can't help! His mind isn't calm –_   _I won't get through to him. Otherwise, I promise I would try…"_

Ryu thought. "Do you know where he is now? Can you take me there?"

_"Yes, but–"_

"Then let's go! If you can't speak to him, I will. We can't lose him out here…"

Mesprit paused for a moment, then flew closer until he was gazing directly into her electrifying yellow eyes.

_"Ryu, tell me: why do you think Fen ran off?"_

Ryu frowned. "Because… the amount of thoughts were overwhelming, like you said? His mind's all scrambled."

Mesprit shook her head.  _"Yes, but not quite. He is grieving."_

The word was like a stun seed hitting Ryu. He didn't understand. "G-grieving?"

 _"I have a feeling…"_ But whatever Mesprit felt then was hidden from Ryu, as she paused.  _"Yes. Ryu, you are right; you must talk to him. But to do that, you must also understand his feelings. I think… I must show you what I showed him."_

"What… his memories?"

_"No, my memories. You will see."_

And then, without warning, Ryu's head seemed to burst open with new images. He only realised, once it was over, that Mesprit had transferred her own  _experience_ over to him. It took a while to make sense of all the thoughts and emotions moving through him. But once he did, he didn't need an explanation of what he saw.

Perhaps Mesprit's emotions in that moment affected his view of the events too. He was immensely grateful to her now; more than he could possibly express. But he thought about Fen, how he must have watched himself die, practically, and everything in his life he must've remembered, tried so hard to remember… Ryu understood why he'd been overwhelmed, because he felt it too, just watching.

But he also saw how Fen had tried to protect his lost partner in the face of all the danger and terror in front of him. And in his heart, Ryu found a feeling of compassion so strong he could barely hold himself together. He knew that if there was one thing important in his life right now, it was helping his friend. Fen had lost one partner already – Ryu couldn't let him lose any more.

He looked at Mesprit again, and she nodded back.

_"If you're ready…"_

"Y-yeah," Ryu said. He turned to Savi, but the Ivysaur spoke before him.

"Explain to me later," he said. "Don't waste time…" He paused, eyes widening upon looking at Ryu properly. "You okay, Ryu?"

"Yeah I am, just… oh…" Ryu shook his head, unable to find the words.

Savi wrapped both vines around his back in a brisk kind of hug. "You've got this, 'mon," he said warmly. "Like I said, you know him better than anyone else possibly could."

Ryu managed to give him a smile. "Thanks. And… thanks," he added to the 'mon floating next to them.

Mesprit didn't reply. She turned and began leading them through Lilycove's streets.

* * *

 

Stumbling into his hallway, the world felt blurry, dreamlike. Fen didn't know where to look. Straight ahead was the living room. His hand found the mantlepiece; it drifted along it absently until a sharp pain pierced his senses. Broken glass. Of course, this was where their framed pictures were.

More aware of himself, he crouched down, shining his tail underneath the wood. His eyes caught a flickering of colours, standing out in the gloom. He reached out for it.

And there he was. He, the skinny, blue-eyed, scruffy-haired teenager, smiling sheepishly as he always did in photos. One arm was around the slightly smaller figure of his mother, who knew 'how to photo', as they jokingly called it, better than he'd ever done. The other arm was supporting Cubbs, who hung precariously off his shoulder. Fen remembered the struggle of taking that photo fondly. The whole day. For his eighteenth, his mum had surprised him with tickets to an exclusive tour around a park between Lilycove and Fortree. It was the biggest large-scale Pokémon reserve on Hoenn, and with some of the scarcest Pokémon on record. A little childish for 18, perhaps, but he loved it there.

But they were only memories now. These were the two beings he loved more than anyone. Yet he'd watched Cubbs die right before his eyes. And his mother… who knew? She might still be alive… the thought sent sparks of joy through his heart. But then he looked at the human between them, and it was extinguished. No – this wasn't him. Wasn't anyone, not anymore.

He stood and turned to the far wall, where a mirror lay. He'd seen the orange-and-tan reflection, the blue marks on his face, and the long flaming tail many times; but now he knew who this figure represented, who he had once been. And who he would never be again.

His transformation, if he could call it that, was permanent. His human body was extinct. Even his name was no more. These memories were all he had left.

And he knew a Monferno's limitations all too well. He could never speak to a human, to his mother, again. Sure, he had the written language, but it hardly seemed to matter. His life could never return to how it was. He would never go to university, never go partying, never have a girlfriend, or a job, or a house… nothing.

One part of him hated these memories with every ounce of being. Yet he couldn't let go of them, scared that they might slip away again for good. If he squinted hard enough in the mirror, he thought he could make out the fair-skinned, 5-and-something foot human he'd seen his whole life. But then something stung his eyes, and they lost focus.

* * *

 

_"He's here."_

Mesprit said it with an odd note in her voice, like she was in pain. The whole journey she'd been flying slightly unsteadily.

Leaving the other two, Ryu walked into the dark house. He found the complete unfamiliarity of human houses both fascinating and disconcerting, but forced that curiosity aside. He was led to the left of the house by Fen's scent – was it his scent? Something he'd unconsciously picked up around the 'mon, anyway. He paused upon seeing a miniscule, frozen form of Fen the human, with a Cubone and another human. A picture, Fen once described them as. Ryu gulped, shook his head and continued.

Then he froze. Towards the end of this room, where he felt a slight breeze, was a sound he was half familiar with, and half didn't want to believe. But he had to go on. The room opened back outdoors, with a small area of grass and the sea, beautifully lit in the dusk, just beyond. A tiny flame revealed Fen lying at the grass's edge, his head buried into it. It didn't do a great job of muffling the crying.

Actually, crying didn't do the sound justice. Ryu had never heard anything like it. Fen was howling, like every emotion inside him was fighting to free itself at once. Ryu's mind had been racing on the journey here, thinking of what he could say, but now he felt as if words were the last thing Fen needed.

Instead, he walked over until side by side with the 'mon, and sat down. He reached out to Fen's nearest hand, both of which were resting his head, and gripped it tightly with his paw.

The contact made Fen glance briefly in his direction before slumping back down, though he didn't try moving his hand. It was lucky Ryu didn't know how to flinch. Beyond the face that streamed with tears, it was the look in the Monferno's eyes, some kind of hopeless despair, which hurt him most. It reminded Ryu of how Fen often looked in their very early days together. He'd been so strong ever since.

* * *

 

As time went by, Fen could eventually cry no more. He continued sniffing for a while, then turned to Ryu again. Somewhere deep down, Fen was enormously grateful for Ryu's presence, but that was difficult to reach over all his sorrow.

"Do you know?" he said thickly.

"Mesprit showed me the same thing you saw, yeah."

 _Mesprit..._  Fen's thoughts about her were too scrambled. Was she stupid to try protecting him? Should he feel thankful?  _Of course he should_ , a part of his brain told him.  _You wouldn't be here otherwise._  And yet…

"She was right," he said.

"Who, Mesprit? About what?"

"That I shouldn't remember. Probably shouldn't have remembered anything at all."

Ryu stared at him. "Why not?"

"Don't you see?! It's all so… so awful, you idiot!" Fen cried, tears welling up again. "Where do I even begin? I'd been assuming all this time that this whole…  _thing_ was just temporary…" He lifted an arm in front of his face, and had a sudden urge to rip the stupid orange fur apart. "But it's not! I  _died_! I'm stuck like this forever! What good was it remembering everything about myself if… if that person no longer exists?"

Ryu took some time to respond. "You do still exist," he said. "You can speak to humans through writing. Clearly that part of you is still there."

"That's not what I mean," Fen mumbled. "Writing messages is alright if all we want is information. But for my mum… if, dear Arceus, she's still alive, I won't be able to…" He shook his head. Too many things to put into words.

Ryu didn't speak for a while. Fen's awareness of the world drifted in and out, and at one point he thought he was alone, instinctively clenching his fists in panic. Ryu yelped and pulled his paw away.

"Fen?" he said. "I'm still here."

"Yeah, I… sorry. I don't know what that was."

"I can leave you alone if you'd prefer."

"No, stay here. Please."

So Ryu did so. Fen's arm was still outstretched, so this time Ryu pulled it around his neck and sat closer to him. Fen didn't resist.

"Sorry for calling you an idiot," Fen said.

He saw Ryu smile in his periphery. "I've done the same many a time."

Some more time passed, till the sky was almost black. Ryu shifted.

"It's dark out here now. C'mon, Mesprit and Savi are waiting for us somewhere sheltered."

Fen heard him, but didn't move. He didn't feel capable of it.

"Fen… we can't sit like this forever. Look, I know what you've been through is… well, nothing I say can really explain it. But as soon as Mesprit's strong enough we need to go to this place where Rayquaza lives, tell him to stop Groudon and Kyogre, and…" Ryu trailed off.

"I can't," Fen said. "You go. You and Savi. You two could beat whatever trials are supposed to be there."

"What? What are you talking about?" Ryu whispered. "Fen, you were the one who brought us here! You've been leading us this whole time, we've travelled for days and days… you have to go. Mesprit wanted  _you_ to do this–"

"Well, she shouldn't!" Fen cried, so fiercely that Ryu recoiled a little. He didn't have the energy to shout again, though.

"I don't know why she protected me. I'm not somehow special or important… I managed to convince myself that I was, but… I'm not smart, or a leader, or brave, or strong… I failed at school, lost all my friends for my own fault… and the moment I started to find some meaning in life, it just  _ends_ because I couldn't protect one of the only things I really cared for. What was the point?"

Ryu didn't reply for some time, fumbling restlessly with his paws all the while.

"Look," he said at last, "what I say might not mean much to you, since I can't replace everyone you've lost. But, at least from me… you're the greatest friend, greatest  _Pokémon_ I think I'll ever meet, Fen. I don't care what you think, you are smart, and brave, and all of those things. And Mesprit must've felt the same–"

Ryu suddenly stopped, and Fen glanced at him to find out why, feeling immensely guilty for doing so.

"Thought I saw something," Ryu said. Then he sighed heavily. "Forgotten what I was saying, now. Just… please come with me, Fen. I can't bear to see you like this. The others–"

This time Ryu scrambled to his feet. He looked around in that sharp, honed way he often did, but eventually shook his head again. "Maybe it's just the sea," he muttered. "It feels too quie– FEN!"

As Ryu said the word Fen felt a sudden rush of wind, the sensation piercing through to the little part of him that  _was_ still Pokémon; his instincts. Spinning around, he saw it. A Scyther, flying in mid-air towards him. Both its forearms raised savagely. He couldn't move.

But as the scythes started coming down, a sudden flash of blue appeared between Fen and the beast. There was a sound of flesh being sliced open. An almost silent gasp. One body collapsed; the other landed competently on its clawed legs.

Both Fen and the Scyther stared at Ryu's fallen form, then at each other. The Scyther bared its jagged teeth at him and gave a grotesque, savage smile. So many emotions rose inside of Fen then, but the prevailing one was something new; a violent, murderous anger for this creature.

Now the Scyther couldn't react, as he threw at it everything he could. His whole body was engulfed by flames as he punched and kicked and spat, screaming and crying through the effort; he didn't stop until the Pokémon stopped screeching, a blackened, unconscious heap on the ground, its wings and limbs smashed.

When Fen finally turned back to Ryu, the anger dissipated like a plant being wrenched from its roots. The grass around the Riolu was already soaked with blood. He'd fallen on his back, which revealed the two wounds running from each shoulder-blade to his opposite thigh, making a red X.

Their eyes met. Ryu's were wide and fearful and overflowing with emotion, as if his whole life was flashing through them.

"Get… help…" he choked.

So Fen stood up and howled for Mesprit and Savi. When they appeared, moments later, he felt a flicker of hope. But their equal looks of horror upon seeing Ryu quickly made things worse.

"Can't you heal him, Mesprit?" Savi was pleading, though he sounded distant. "Or do anything?" Mesprit wasn't levitating, but on the grass with them. If she tried to speak, Fen was unable to hear.

Fen kneeled over Ryu once more. Now the Riolu was biting his mouth to try and stop himself trembling, but it made no difference. His eyes were starting to lose focus.

Already, a film of what happened was playing on loop in Fen's mind. It had all been so fast. If only  _he_ had been paying attention, had been listening to Ryu, instead of wallowing in his own self-pity. Then they would've seen it coming. For the second time he was losing his best friend, and for the second time it was his fault. Was there nothing he could do? Fen looked at his hands desperately, as if they would heal Ryu like they had revived Mesprit. But they showed nothing.

So he wrapped his arms under Ryu's back and hugged him, not caring for the blood around them, for he knew this would be the last time he would ever have the chance. He couldn't bear losing Ryu. They had argued and disagreed at times, yes, but they'd barely spent an hour separated though all their time together. Ryu had been a guide, a mentor for him. So much more.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He said the words again and again, as if  _they_ could somehow repair things. He was devastated for having to take Ryu through so much, all for  _his_ cause, and it had all been for nothing now, because–

Something changed. Fen trembled. Was it–? No, Ryu was still breathing shallowly. He was faint, but alive.

Then Fen saw the aura sensors. Having never moved beyond a twitch, now they were jerking wildly in all directions. Before he could say anything, Ryu's fur suddenly became burning hot. He scrambled backwards at once.

And he was glad he did. At first, Ryu's body started glowing the same blue as his fur. Then it suddenly burst into light, creating a white silhouette where he lay. All at once, his ears stretched out, face became sharper, sensors expanded and split in two, bumps on his paws became spikes, and every part of him grew in a way that seemed the most natural thing in the world.

But only when the light had faded did Fen cry out with joy and amazement. Ryu's wounds had disappeared, with not a trace on his new, sparkling pale chest-fur.

Ryu lay still for a moment, then arched his back to look at Fen and the others. His eyes had remained puffy, but they were wide open now. They very slowly moved over his arms, torso, legs, tail, and everything else around him. He reached up with a paw to tentatively brush one of his new ears. He sniffed the air. Finally, he returned to Fen and mouthed something like, "Wha…?"

Fen didn't know what to do either. He half-walked, half-crawled over to Ryu, and hugged him again.

He had no idea how Ryu had evolved, but it didn't matter. What he did know was that he couldn't feel sorry for himself any longer. Because here was someone who believed in him so much that they'd tried giving their own life just to protect his. So he  _would_ go to Rayquaza's fortress, and somehow find a way to restore peace to Hoenn, whatever it took to do it. Because if Ryu had believed his life to be this valuable, well, he would damn well make sure it was.


	23. Before the Final Storm

 

Ryu couldn’t process everything.

He knew he had evolved. He also knew that his wounds had been healed, though a faint scar on his chest still remained. But as Fen hugged him now, Ryu got the strangest sensation. It was like a bundle of happiness, determination, exhaustion, and a number of smaller emotions that he couldn’t pick out – but they all felt external, not affecting his own mental state, even though he could _feel_ them just as strongly.

Then he suddenly had a thought. Just to check, he reached up and felt below his ear for his aura sensors. They seemed to crackle slightly with the contact. They were already working! He must have been feeling Fen’s emotions, which made sense – they felt distinctly _Fen-like._ Could he do this with everyone now? Surely not…

He heard a rustle of grass. Savi took careful steps towards him, Mesprit following silently behind. Odd, Ryu thought, how shy the mythical ‘mon appeared to be. Maybe his assumption that all legendaries were assertive and vocal was misguided.

“Are you okay, Ryu?” Savi asked.

Ryu looked at the Ivysaur’s hesitant expression. There was a vague feeling of relief around him, but it was very hazy. Quite different to Fen. He thought about the ‘mon’s question.

“I feel okay… physically,” Ryu said. “My chest hurts a little bit, but nothing like a moment ago. I’m just… a bit confused.”

Savi grinned. “Confusion is normal. I didn’t understand these leaves that suddenly sprouted out of my back. You get used to it.” He turned serious again. “But… I’m really glad you’re alright. I probably don’t need to tell you how bad things looked, but…”

“I know, ‘mon.” The shock of those events felt as if they’d be burnt into Ryu’s mind for eternity. He’d been unable to move, dying. For a moment, when it became clear that no-one could help, and Fen was helplessly over him, he’d even accepted…

 _No!_ He shook his head. _Don’t… don’t think like that. I’m alive_ right now _, and that’s what matters._

“Well, I’m glad too,” he added, offering a small smile.

In return Savi extended a vine to him, which Ryu slapped with a free paw.

“I hate to break you two up, but we need to find shelter somewhere,” Savi went on. “Especially now we know that there are still wilds around.”

Ryu nodded in agreement. “D’you think it’ll be easy to find somewhere?”

 _“Yes,”_ Mesprit answered. _“Most houses in the centre of Lilycove will be deserted, I imagine. And I can watch for all of you. You deserve a rest.”_

“Don’t you need rest as well, Mesprit?” Savi asked. “With your recovering…”

_“My resting is quite different to yours. More like meditation. If there is any danger nearby, I can detect it and wake you at once. It is… deeply regrettable that I was too far from you, Ryu, to detect the Scyther until it was too late. So we must stay close at all times.”_

_Well, I might not have evolved if it wasn’t for the Scyther,_ Ryu thought, then felt guilty. _Seems pretty selfish to think about it like that. But… why_ did _I evolve? It doesn’t feel so important, now it’s happened, but still…_

That mystery could wait, as Fen was still holding onto him. Ryu wondered briefly if he’d fallen asleep. He nudged the Monferno with a paw.

“Did you hear that, ‘mon? We need to get out of here…”

Fen made a strange noise that Ryu interpreted as laughter. He finally pulled away and looked puffy-eyed at them all. “Yeah. Sorry. A rest would be good, I think.”

Fen seemed better than a moment ago, which was a relief. But Ryu’s thoughts were distracted as he got up, feeling every movement of his body. _This is incredible! It’s like nothing’s changed, except everything_ has _changed, but in the best way possible… I feel so fast, and strong, and alert, and…_

He noticed Fen turn to him again, as they followed Mesprit away from the cliff edge.

“Hey, um, the things I said to you earlier…” Fen began, but then faltered, his mouth skewed in thought.

“You don’t need to apologise,” Ryu said. “I wouldn’t expect you to take the… information you learned calmly.”

“Well, thanks, but it’s… more than that. I… am still onboard with this whole thing. I mean, I’m going with you and Savi. Ignore the things I said back there; they were stupid. What you did helped me realise that.”

Ryu remained convinced that, no matter what could’ve happened, Fen would have eventually come around again. He wasn’t – at least, the Fen _he_ knew wasn’t – the type to give up so easily. Or give up at all.

“Still,” he said gently, “if you need to talk about anything–”

“I appreciate the offer,” Fen said, smiling, “but for now we should concentrate on what we need to.”

Ryu nodded. “Plenty of time to chill out once we save the world, I guess.”

Though he meant it has a joke, Fen’s expression seemed to darken for a second before recovering himself. Ryu _felt_ the slight worry, too. “I guess so,” he replied.

Mesprit was spot on about the houses being deserted; the biggest challenge was instead finding a building with a functioning door and four stable walls. Eventually, they found one wedged among a street of semi-detached houses. Fen even managed to find a key to its door, under a rock on the grass path beside it. Ryu and Savi were mystified by this apparent act of genius, but Fen shrugged their compliments off tiredly. They stumbled through the dark house to a front room and collectively slumped on a large, soft, fluffy surface; though Fen left his tail-side on the hard floor for safety.

* * *

 

When Ryu woke again, the sky was pitch black. Mesprit’s faintly glowing jewels, outlining her low-floating form, were the only meagre light source with Fen’s tail out. As Ryu shifted, he sensed her stir too.

 _“Slept enough?”_ she said to him. Ryu had heard telepathy before from his parents, but the way Mesprit did it was a wonder. Here, she managed to both convey a question, and do it with a dim, sleepy tone. Her messages had just as much character, maybe even more, than verbal speech.

Ryu opened his mouth, but then realised that now he should be able to respond in kind; particularly as it wouldn’t wake the others. He narrowed his eyes at Mesprit. “How do you speak… like that?”

 _“Try creating a message in your mind, then focus that message onto me,”_ Mesprit said. _“You can certainly do it.”_

So Ryu tried just that, albeit with the simplest message he could think of. _Hello… hello… hello…_

He got a sudden feeling like a thought leaving his head, and gasped.

 _“Not bad,”_ Mesprit replied, smiling, despite her eyes still being closed. _“You will quickly get a grasp of it. What were you saying?”_

Ryu carefully tried the telepathy again, eventually getting a slow message out. _“Just that I don’t feel tired… but I should probably sleep more, right?”_

 _“Perhaps,”_ Mesprit said. _“But unneeded sleep isn’t always useful. If you want to work on your aura, as I’m sure you’re keen to, that would be an equally good use of time.”_

 _How did she–?_ Ryu decided it didn’t really matter how she knew. He trusted Mesprit enough. _“Do you know much about that?”_ he asked, attempting to convey the excitement he was practically bursting with.

_“About aura? Yes. But how to utilise it? I cannot do so myself; it is equivalent to trying to teach someone to breathe fire or wield vines. It should come intuitively to you, as most abilities do.”_

So Ryu tried on his own. He soon found that, with some concentration, he could get a feeling in his chest of a similar energy to the one he could briefly imbue his palms with in attack, yet more deep and unwavering. He started by trying to move some of the energy to his paws, but his hold of it dropped the moment his concentration did. It was difficult work.

Before he knew where the time had gone, the room was growing brighter. Columns of light poked around the sides of a square fabric – Ryu didn’t know what it was called – which Fen had pulled in front of the window before they’d slept. Ryu paused his focus, expecting Fen and Savi to be awake, but neither even stirred.

 _“It’s alright,”_ Mesprit said to him. _“They can rest as long as they need.”_

Ryu frowned; that somehow didn’t seem right. His parents rarely let him lie in… Faoz had been even less willing for the short time they’d stayed at her place… and on their travels it seemed logical to get as much distance covered as possible while it was light. But with his mind practically aching after such a prolonged workout, he decided to enjoy the luxury for a while, and curled back up on the fluffy, soft thing on the floor.

* * *

 

Fen had never felt more welcome to the idea of sleep. Yet unfortunately, his subconscious mind wasn’t so keen to shut down. His dreams were alive with images – mostly strange, twisted versions of his human memories. Some were simply unsettling, but many were much more fear inducing; the worst thing was how many times they led to him running onto the Lilycove beach after Cubbs, seeing that awful red light.

After one particularly vivid picture he woke with his heart pumping, and instinctively grabbed his tail. _This is what’s real. This is safe,_ he tried to remind himself. But the pictures in his head returned the moment he closed his eyes, and he whined feebly.

It was just approaching dawn, but no-one else was awake. He looked to Mesprit, who was suspended in the exact position he’d last seen her.

“Mesprit?” he whispered.

 _“Mm,”_ she replied, not opening her eyes.

Fen hesitated on what to say next, and she added, _“You can speak with your mind if you like. It may be easier.”_

Fen paused. _“Like this?”_ Then he shook his head, confused; he didn’t even have to ask how it worked. The telepathy happened the moment he put his mind to it.

Mesprit opened her eyes now. _“Apologies if that is a little strange for you.”_

_“…It’s fine.”_

Mesprit nodded. _“Was something wrong?”_ she asked, in a way that suggested she knew something was.

 _“I keep dreaming about… things,”_ Fen said. _“It’s never happened before. Except when I… wait. You can see my dreams, can’t you? And influence them?”_

_“No. Dreams are out of my control.”_

_“But… haven’t you given me them before? The emotion attacks…?”_

_“While I was able to give you thoughts and, once you remembered them, visions of old memories, that was only while you were half-conscious; where my influence on your mind could be strongest. Once you fell asleep, as the only active part of myself was with you, I was asleep too. So no, I cannot control your dreams.”_

Fen took a moment to digest that. It all seemed true with what he remembered.

_“But, Fen.”_

Mesprit’s voice suddenly took on an emotional, careful quality. Fen looked up, surprised.

_“Sorry, excuse me for asking – what name do you wish to be called?”_

He hadn’t even considered that. It didn’t take long to decide, though.

 _“It’s Fen,”_ he said firmly. _“Blake is associated with too much… negativity. And I don’t want to confuse the others right now, or distract them. Seems only right to stick with what’s taken me this far.”_

Mesprit nodded. _“Fen, then. I’m sorry to hear about the dreams, especially as there’s nothing I can do. Coming on top of everything else I have put you through, those things you call emotion attacks, and your visions. Never have I had to… willingly inflict so much emotional torment on another being, but it was all I could do. I cannot apologise enough.”_

 _“Well… that’s okay,”_ Fen said. _“The guidance you gave me was infinitely better than none at all. And… you stopped me from dying, Mesprit. I won’t forget that.”_

 _“Mm.”_ Mesprit gazed beyond him, into the darkness. _“They are a remarkable thing though, emotions. The power of them will remain infinite across all time, I expect.”_

When Fen hesitated, she smiled. _“Apologies. You probably want to discuss non-philosophical matters right now.”_

She was right, of course. Fen realised there were still a few unanswered questions on his mind.

 _“Mesprit,”_ he began, _“before you gave me my memories back, when you warned me about the consequences of them…”_

He hesitated, but Mesprit nodded him on.

_“You knew that restoring the bad memories would seriously affect me, right?”_

_“I thought it very likely, yes.”_

_“So why didn’t you just leave them alone, like in the first option you gave me?”_

On this rare occasion, Mesprit considered her answer. _“Firstly, it would be cruel to deny you part of yourself. I am not so mean-spirited as some other beings of power… though I probably swing too far in the opposite way. And secondly, I knew that if you could handle those memories, you would be stronger with that knowledge.”_

 _“That’s not how I feel,”_ Fen countered. _“I didn’t accomplish anything in my human life. When I_ didn’t _know that, I could convince myself that I’d been someone important, but now I know that I’m not, I just… don’t feel at all special.”_

 _“It was not about who you were, but what you believed in,”_ Mesprit asserted. _“Fen, you cared for Pokémon as much as any human I have known. That is what you need to remember. Besides, raw power is no indicator of greatness. Rayquaza abused his all those eons ago to leave us with this calamity.”_

Fen understood, but wasn’t convinced. He fiddled anxiously with his tail. _“I’m just worried I won’t be up to the challenge of this.”_

Mesprit flew nearer. _“I cannot reassure you as to what awaits inside Rayquaza’s fortress,”_ she said, eyes huge and caring. _“But I do believe, having watched you for so long, that you_ are _exceptional. And that I made the right decision in saving your life.”_

 _That_ was a compliment. Fen felt his face heat up. Did he really deserve that from someone as old and wise as Mesprit? No point questioning it. She wanted him to believe it.

“Thank you,” he said, quietly aloud.

Perhaps to honour his verbal words, Mesprit just bowed her head in response.

Thinking of that moment again – as much as he didn’t want to – reminded Fen of another curiosity. _“I have another question,”_ he said.

_“Ask away.”_

_“Well, I understand why I became a Pokémon now… but why a Chimchar, of all things? Shouldn’t it have been something more like… you, maybe?”_

Mesprit smiled. _“Excellent question. It’s not like you, or I, seemed to have any sort of choice over what you became, is it?”_

_“No. Or if I did, the memories are gone…”_

_“Mhm. Soul is a curious entity, Fen. I cannot say for sure what gave you this body, but what seems most likely is that your soul – rather, the combination of ours – took the form which resembled it most upon being reborn. Of course, the soul you possess right now is still primarily yours; I am but a small piece. So this Pokémon form must have primarily resembled you.”_

Fen frowned. Was that all it was? He’d reflected before on how there were easily many worse Pokémon he could’ve been turned into. Now he considered it, his body was designed for climbing and exploring, which was always something he’d loved. And as for the fire… he knew he had a short fuse if things weren’t going his way. Fire Pokémon generally had a similar temperament.

Maybe that _was_ the only answer. Mesprit didn’t have any other ideas. But it equally seemed like anything could be possible. _Maybe…_ he smiled stupidly to himself. Maybe Arceus himself had somehow intervened to give him some choice, only to wipe his memory of the whole thing… or made him take some kind of specifically-tailored personality test…

 _“Any other questions?”_ Mesprit asked. _“If not, I suggest you sleep some more. I need a little more time before we can leave here; probably about a half-day.”_

Fen found her use of the primitive, Pokémon term _half-day_ amusing, but didn’t comment. _“Just one thing… did you make Ryu evolve?”_

To his great surprise, Mesprit laughed; a tiny little verbal note, but unmistakably a laugh.

_“Pokémon can do many things, but freely making others evolve is not one of them.”_

_“Then what_ did _happen? He was going to die, wasn’t he, if he hadn’t evolved?”_

Mesprit looked seriously at him. _“Yes, he was. The thing…”_

She paused as they heard a loud yawn nearby. Ryu sat up groggily, mumbling a “Mornin’.” He tried to rub his eyes, but the significant muzzle he now possessed confused him for a moment before his paws found the right place.

Then he blinked at the two of them being so close together. “Did I interrupt something?” he asked.

Fen looked to Mesprit, who said, _“No, you’ve woken up at a convenient time. We were just about to discuss your evolution.”_

“Oh,” Ryu said, though there was little excitement in his voice. He shifted awkwardly on the rug. “I don’t know what made it happen, though.”

 _“I realise that,”_ Mesprit said, _“but I can enlighten you, if you want.”_

“What, you know?” Ryu exclaimed. “How?”

_“I am very old. And I have known a few Lucario in my time.”_

Ryu nodded slowly. “Well I’d love to know, yeah.” He nudged the dozing Ivysaur beside him. “Hey, Savi. You wanted to know the evolution thing too.”

“What?” Savi tried to say, but the word was elongated by a yawn even greater than Ryu’s. He shifted his legs slightly so he could look up bleary-eyed at the rest of them, without exerting much energy in standing up.

“Did you sleep well?” Fen said, smiling.

“Incredible,” Savi mumbled. He glanced nervously around them. “Please continue what you were saying, though.”

Mesprit did so. _“Ryu. I believe you were told by your parents that a Riolu’s aura sensors are useless, and only once they have grown through evolution can they sense and manipulate aura. Is that correct?”_

“Um… something like that,” Ryu said. “How did you–”

“That’s what you told me, once,” Fen interjected. “Mesprit could only hear the same thing as me. I think?”

 _“Exactly right,”_ Mesprit said. _“Now, your parents were not completely truthful, Ryu. Riolu aura sensors are only useless insofar as they cannot use aura_ consciously _. You have had the ability, albeit a subdued one, to use it well before now.”_

Ryu frowned. “But why would they lie about that?”

_“Because a Riolu can only use aura under certain conditions. It will all make sense in a moment._

_“A Riolu’s evolution is simply a matter of tuning one’s aura_ enough _to gain conscious use of it. It never had anything to do with physical attributes, special items, or other conventional routes. But tuning aura is a very difficult matter. Aura makes up your very soul, and for that to be in harmony, one must be at peace with themselves.”_

“How do you–”

_“Achieve such peace? Well, it can be achieved by oneself, through strict and dedicated meditation and mind-training, but a more common method is via a particularly strong friendship. This close relationship acts as a vehicle for developing aura, though the holder is of course unaware of it.”_

“So, hold on.” Ryu turned to Fen, his face contorted in concentration. “I remember that time in the mountains… you said I was reading your emotions, but I didn’t believe you. Are _you_ saying, Mesprit, that Fen was right? And it was because of the friendship we had that I could do that?”

_“Absolutely.”_

“Sounds right to me,” Fen smiled. “There’s been little moments like that practically from the day we met. When I look at those early days, I feel terrible at how helpless and reliant I was… but the fact you could use aura even then, when it could’ve only concerned me, means you must’ve really cared about me, right from the start.”

Ryu fiddled with his paws, looking a little embarrassed. “Of course I did… you were on your own, struggling, and I was, well, kinda the same in some ways.”

“I should confess that I’ve kept something from you too,” Fen went on. “Back at Mt. Aura, while you were talking to your siblings, Rycaro spoke telepathically to me and said that, while he couldn’t say what you needed to do to evolve, it was much more likely to happen if I stayed with you. So he knew what was happening.”

“Hm.” Ryu frowned. “But why couldn’t he tell _me_ that? Wouldn’t that have made everything easier?”

“I don’t think so…” Fen gave Mesprit an ‘am I correct?’ look; when she gave her approval, he went on. “If you’d known that all you needed to do to evolve was to stay good friends with me, what would you have done? How would you have acted?”

“Well, I’d have still stayed with you!”

“But why?”

“Because… oh.” Ryu seemed to understand then. “Because I’d know it would lead to me evolving. Not because… we actually needed each other?”

 _“That’s exactly it,”_ Mesprit said. _“And in fact, had you known, it is unlikely you would have evolved. The friendship must be true. That’s why_ _you couldn’t sense your aura powers growing, and why you were never told about them. I think also that not worrying so much about your evolution helped you achieve peace.”_

“Hey, I hadn’t heard a mention of evolution since… Sanguin Town, I think?” Fen said. “Heh, I’m glad you took what I told you then to heart… even if I said it more in desperation than anything else.”

Ryu raised his eyelids. “It was good advice. And I mean, there’s not been room to think about much more than what we’re doing now.”

 _You found room to think about it a lot before then, ‘mon,_ Fen thought amusedly.

Ryu looked to Mesprit. “So what I did yesterday was like… the final boost my aura needed?”

_“Yes. Throwing yourself in front of a potentially lethal attack for Fen was an incredible mark of courage, selflessness and, of course, friendship. You should feel very proud for evolving, more so than other species. I’m sure your parents would be too.”_

“Heh… thanks,” Ryu murmured, but he wore a worried frown. “I’m just thinking… what if I’d already evolved when I got slashed? Or if I wasn’t close enough to evolving?”

_“Hm. Fen expressed a similar concern. Well, I can’t examine your aura myself, but I can tell you that it works in peculiar ways. You might have been ready to evolve before, but your body was saving it for a time when you would need it most.”_

“Huh… that’s pretty cool, actually.” A smile slowly spread across Ryu’s face. “Yeah, I like the sound of that more. My aura always had me covered…”

He seemed to think fondly on this for a moment, then Savi asked, “Ryu, now you’ve evolved, you can properly use your aura, right?”

“Yeah. I was doing it earlier.”

“D’you think you could… give us a little demo?”

“Oh, sure! Gimme a second...”

“I’m expecting big things,” Savi added mischievously.

Ryu smirked, then closed his eyes. His aura sensors started twitching. A blue light appeared very briefly between his paws, but then he made a frustrated “ngh!” sound and it evaporated.

“I was– I was doing it better than that earlier!” he protested, as Savi chuckled. “It’s ‘cause you’re all looking at me, it messed up my concentration. Mesprit, it was better earlier, wasn’t it?”

Mesprit had been gazing beyond them, and Ryu’s question made her pause for a moment. “ _I… suspect you were too impatient just now, Ryu. You cannot rush focus._ ” She floated upwards slightly and addressed them all. “ _Perhaps I should have told you this earlier, but: I need to leave you for a short while, to check on the location of Rayquaza’s fortress. I cannot teleport unless I have an exact image of where I want to go, and I have not visited this place in eons.”_

Fen blinked. This was unexpected. “How long will you be?”

 _“I will be back well before dusk,”_ she promised. _“If there is any danger, contact me. I am strong enough now to protect you, should you need it.”_

So, after some brief goodbyes, she flew out of the open window and disappeared into the sky.

“Huh,” Ryu said. “We’ve got a while. Any ideas on what to do?”

“We could try finding food,” Savi suggested. “I doubt there’ll be much of it in this… fortress place.”

Fen had had so much to worry about that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind; but now Savi mentioned it, it must’ve been a day since they’d last eaten. Ryu’s surprised reaction suggested the same. “Going outside at all will be dangerous,” Fen warned, thinking back to yesterday.

“Yes, but basically anything we do is dangerous,” Savi replied. “We could still be attacked just sitting here, you never know. _Not eating_ would certainly be dangerous.”

“Also, we might not have to go outside,” Ryu said. “What if there’s already food in this house?”

Fen hadn’t thought of that. He smiled to himself. _These two have such scavenger’s instincts…_

Unfortunately, it quickly became clear why this house had evaded the attention of wilds. Every cupboard and compartment was bare of food. But Ryu continued to search even when Fen and Savi had given up. “I swear I can smell _something,_ ” he muttered. “I don’t know what it is, but… ah! Here.”

He pulled out a large glass bottle from the back of a cupboard, filled with clear liquid. Seeing it in the dim light, Ryu frowned. “Weird smelling _water_? Huh… I guess it can’t be bad if it’s clear, but still…”

Fen was keeping half an eye on a window, where storm clouds were quickly gathering. Only when he saw Ryu unscrew the bottle and start glugging did he realise the problem.

“Ryu, no!” he yelped, running over. “Don’t drink that! It’s…”

As he reached for the bottle, Ryu spat the liquid everywhere. He fell to his knees and choked for a few seconds, while a good deal of the bottle leaked onto the floor.

Ryu eventually levered himself back up with the help of a wall. “What the… what _is_ that?” he cried, staring at the bottle like it wanted to kill him. “It wasn’t water… oh Mew, my throat is _burning…_ was that poison? Do humans keep poison around?”

“It’s not poison,” Fen sighed, checking the bottle’s label. He tipped what hadn’t leaked of it down a sink, which he was almost too small to reach. “At least, humans wouldn’t _call_ it poison. But alcohol isn’t good for you. Especially not…” he shuddered to think of Ryu’s experience, “…straight vodka. How much of this did you swallow?”

Ryu coughed again. “Not much. I realised after a gulp that it was bad.”

“Well, if you feel at all lightheaded, or the world gets a bit blurry, don’t panic. It’ll pass soon enough.”

“What?” Ryu moaned. “That doesn’t sound fun.”

Fen didn’t mention the irony that, to most people, it _was_ supposed to be fun. Nor did he admit that all he knew about Pokémon and alcohol was that they weren’t supposed to mix. He hoped that it didn’t mess with Ryu in any unforeseen way.

 _“Are you okay?”_ Mesprit asked, suddenly entering his head. _“I sensed panic.”_

 _“Yeah,”_ Fen replied. He wondered whether to explain. It was easier not to for now. _“Uh… yeah. Don’t worry.”_

Mesprit seemed too busy to ask for details, which was a relief. When the bottle was empty, he stared at the sink for a moment, feeling like he was forgetting something. Then he realised; _the tap!_ He turned the cold one and, after a slight juddering, a thin stream of water came pouring out.

“Yes!” he said triumphantly. “ _This_ is definitely water.”

He took three cups from an already-searched cupboard and passed one to Ryu and Savi. “This will help too,” he told Ryu as they drank thirstily, each of them finishing two cups’ worth. Ryu went on to refill their water flask, too.

“At least we got something good from this,” he said, screwing the lid back on. “But… no food. Guess we should try the houses nearby?”

“I’m not sure about that,” Savi said, looking out of the window.

Rain was suddenly falling so hard and fast that the street opposite was barely visible. Fen quickly noticed the howling wind accompanying the drumming on their house’s roof. Just the thought of being caught outside made his stomach jump a little.

“We can’t go out now,” he agreed. “Especially since this is the only house around that’s not hopelessly exposed to the weather.”

“And not to mention the chance of debris falling on us… _and_ wilds,” Savi said, shivering. “Hopefully this storm doesn’t last long…”

All they could do was go back to the room with the rug and wait. Ryu kept them entertained for a little while as he practised creating aura, though he quickly got tired from the effort. Fen saw the only other thing to do was try and rest.

The storm raged relentlessly. The constant reminder of possible danger made it difficult to relax; and most of the random thoughts that ran through his mind weren’t very calming either. The thing concerning him most, which he hadn’t been able to shake off, was that if they miraculously stopped Groudon and Kyogre, what would the aftermath be? He knew it was foolish to think about such a contingent future. But if they _did_ succeed, and Hoenn became safe again, he felt as if–

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Fen sat up at once, startled. Ryu and Savi had reacted similarly. _What was that?_ he thought. _Did something hit us?_

There was silence for a moment. _Maybe it just hit the roof._ He squinted at the window, but it was impossible to see anything beyond.

There was more banging then; it must’ve lasted 30 seconds before ceasing. Fen realised with a jolt what the sound was, or he thought he did.

“What the hell’s happening?” Ryu whispered in an urgent tone.

“It sounds like the door,” Fen told them. “But that doesn’t make sense. Why would a wild ‘mon bang on the door? It would just try breaking in here, if it wanted us…”

“Maybe it’s a human?” Ryu suggested.

The banging came again.

“What do we do?” Savi hissed; this time the banging didn’t seem to stop at all. “They’re gonna break down the door at this rate!”

Fen shook his head in dismay. “We can’t sneak outside with this storm going on. We’ll have to open it.”

“Well, we can at least prepare for that,” Ryu said. “I’ll get the scarves ready.”

Fen put on the evasion scarf, Savi got next to the door before Ryu helped him fasten the element scarf, and the Lucario kept the most dangerous of them in his paws. The door was solid wood, so nothing of the outside was visible. Fen twisted the key to unlock it, then with a nod to the others, swung the door wide open.

It wasn’t a human in a front of them. Nor, it seemed, a wild. It was a tall, bipedal Pokémon Fen had never seen before. Its unkempt grey fur was soaking wet, as was the huge, red-and-black mane which fell behind it, almost to its feet.

The Pokémon’s green eyes widened at the sight of them, but not aggressively. It stood there for a moment, panting, looking very unsure of itself. Fen had no idea how to respond. Was this Pokémon frightened of them? Was it injured? Could it even speak?

Then Ryu stepped in front of him. He looked at the Pokémon very carefully, and asked, “Zephia?”

The Pokémon gasped, then gave a little nod. “Ryu?” she squeaked, sounding as if she hadn’t spoken for days.

Ryu suddenly broke into a grin, and practically leaped forwards to hug her. Zephia stumbled backwards, looking startled at the display of warmth. She didn’t return the hug before Ryu clumsily stepped back again.

“Uh… sorry,” he said sheepishly. “It’s just… good to see ya again. Are you okay? Not hurt or anything?”

Zephia shook her head. “Could I come inside?” she asked meekly, still standing on the exposed doorstep.

“Yes!” Ryu and Fen said at once. They exchanged a glance, and Fen added, “You… don’t need to ask, Zephia. Come in.” He realised how strange that question sounded, coming from Zephia’s mouth. He couldn’t remember her asking _any_ kind of permission before.

Zephia took one forward step of her newly-clawed feet, then stopped. “I, uh… found something for you,” she muttered, stooping down and reaching to the side of the door. “Here. You’re probably hungry.”

A dead Zangoose, as soaked as her, was in her arms.

Though the sight of it gave Fen a little discomfort, which seemed impossible for him to prevent, he couldn’t help smiling. _Maybe she hasn’t changed so much._ “That’s… very nice of you,” he said.

“It only happened a moment ago,” Zephia said quickly, “and I didn’t really _mean_ to kill it, but these wilds–”

“Hey, it’s fine,” Ryu smirked. “We needed some food. The gift’s much appreciated.”

Zephia’s mouth curled upwards slightly, and she put the body to one side. “Could you stand back for a second?”

The three of them looked confusedly at her. “To dry myself,” she added helpfully.

With a collective murmuring of ‘oh’, Fen got behind the others, and watched Zephia shake herself ferociously. She even wrung out her mane afterwards, creating a small puddle on the floor and making it look even more bedraggled. Then she just stood still again, uncertain.

“Zephia,” Savi said after a moment’s pause.

“Mm?”

“Forgive me for asking, as you look wet and exhausted, but I can’t understand… well, why have you come here? From what I heard, you were never on our side in this, had no intention to help us… I mean, you ran off, didn’t you? Have you changed your mind about all that?”

Zephia sat down on the floor. The question somehow seemed to make her more comfortable. “I figured you would ask. Was expecting one of _you two_ to do it, in fairness.” She glanced at Fen and Ryu as if they’d done something wrong. “It’s hard to say exactly why I came back. Everything you’ve said is true, Grass.”

“Savi,” he corrected, with a tinge of irritation. “Well, what did you do after you left us?”

Zephia frowned. “To be honest… I’m not sure. My memory’s fuzzy. I couldn’t bear staying in the Cave alone, so I just wandered, finding food and shelter wherever I could… basically what I’d done before I first came across all of you.

“But I found it just… wasn’t right any more. It felt empty. Meaningless. I don’t know. When I was with you ‘mon, things were at least a little more interesting. We were going places. And greater numbers is helpful, when all the wilds in this place act like the only way to stay alive is by fucking killing each other, y’know.”

Savi hesitated, and she added, “I’m here to help you, if that’s what you wanted to hear.”

“That _was_ probably part of it,” Ryu quipped. “Well, we’re glad to have ya back.” Fen and Savi assented to that.

Zephia just looked at the Zangoose on the floor. “Should probably eat this, if we don’t want to get challenged to it by wilds.”

“Oh Mew, it’s like in that clearing with the Tauros…” Ryu paused, then chuckled. “Wait, you weren’t even there, Zephia. Wow. Some interesting stuff happened while you were gone…”

“Actually, before we move on,” Fen interjected, “could you explain… how you _found_ us, Zephia? You say you spent a few days wandering. You couldn’t have been following us from afar, could you? Did you… oh, did you find Faoz and Shaice?”

“No,” Zephia said. Her eyes narrowed. “What d’you mean, find them? Are they not here with you?”

“No, they’re… we had to leave them behind.” Fen quickly explained Shaice’s injuries, and as he did he realised over a week, though he’d forgotten the exact number of days, had passed since they’d separated. They added to the very long list of people and Pokémon who he could only _hope_ were doing okay. The solemn looks Ryu and Savi wore suggested they were thinking the same.

“Shame,” Zephia murmured when she’d finished. “I liked Faoz. Knew what she was doing.” She readdressed the others. “Well, for me, I started by retracing my steps to that town we’d come from, then…”

Her eyes kept getting drawn to the Zangoose. “Can we just eat this first? I’d prefer not to be the cause of us getting savaged.”

“Fine,” Fen agreed, already starting to retreat towards the front room where he wouldn’t be able to see her. He could accept eating meat when it was necessary, but his stomach still lurched at the thought of dissecting it, as Zephia would do. It was somewhat reassuring to know that was _one_ thing he’d inherited from his old self.

It was a much-needed meal when it did arrive, just as the Tauros had been a few days ago. After they’d finished, as a precautionary measure, Ryu squeezed outside and chucked the Zangoose’s remains as far as he could into the still-horrendous storm. Then Zephia finally finished Fen’s question.

“I had no idea where you’d gone after the Cave, but given all the talking you did with the humans in that building, Fen, I figured they might have an idea.”

“You… you spoke to the humans in Fallarbor?” Fen asked, astonished.

Zephia nodded. “It was tough, obviously, given I don’t speak their language–”

“No, I mean – it’s amazing you got help from them!” Fen said. “Given how you were before with them… when Faoz had to put you to sleep.”

“Oh.” Zephia huffed. Praise never went down well with her, Fen had noticed. “I _suppose_ I was quite determined to find you again. My thoughts about those humans needed putting to one side.”

“How did you communicate with them, Zephia?” Ryu asked eagerly. “Surely it was impossible, if you couldn’t write like Fen?”

“Well, I figured they would trust Fen, if no one else, so I took on his appearance as I approached. Once I was inside I reverted to normal, making sure they knew who _I_ was, and then did illusions of all of you in turn, pointing to myself, as if to ask where you’d gone. Somehow, they understood. It surprised me, too. One of them gave me _this–”_ She reached into a furry pocket between her mane and ear, pulling out a small, round device. A compass. She looked at it and gestured with her other arm. “They said to follow the arrow in this direction. Someone even drew a little sketch of the place I needed to look for. All I gathered was that it had a lot of buildings, and this seemed to fit that.”

Fen was amazed. It warmed his heart to know how much the human group in Fallarbor had wanted this random team of Pokémon to succeed, when they themselves were helpless.

“What about finding _us_?” Ryu asked.

“I went to a hill to look around, and I saw three figures that looked like you,” Zephia said. “The storm started pretty quickly after that, which made it difficult to catch your scent, but I figured you’d be sheltered in the best-looking house, and I picked it up again when I reached the door. That’s it.” She shrugged, like her whole story had been an idle chore. “Now, could _I_ ask: what’s the plan here? You do have one, don’t you? Or have you already accepted defeat, and found the nicest burial ground you could?”

“No!” Fen exclaimed. “We have a plan! It’s...uh… hold on.” He suddenly remembered Mesprit. _“How are you doing?”_ he asked her.

_“Almost back with you. Everything okay?”_

_“Good. Zephia’s here to help us. She came back!”_

It was the first time Fen had sensed any feelings of surprise from Mesprit’s signals. He suspected it might be the only time. _“That’s… that’s wonderful,”_ she said. _“Wow. Well, I have good news too. I’ll explain more shortly, when we’re together.”_

Their connection broke off. Fen blinked, and found Zephia staring incredulously at him.

“What was _that_?” she demanded, then glared at the others’ less surprised looks. “Your eyes just… someone wanna tell me what’s going on?”

 _What a question,_ Fen thought, sighing. He quickly explained the situation with Mesprit, whom Zephia didn’t recognise the name of. Given the Pokémon was native to Kyunn, and there had seemed little time for tall tales in Zephia’s upbringing, it didn’t surprise him. But Zephia wasn’t content with knowing that Mesprit was merely ‘here to help them’; when she pressed, Fen had little choice but to tell her the truth about himself – Savi, he only realised then, hadn’t known either. The Ivysaur had held back from asking at all, suspecting it to be linked with his loss of control the previous day.

“’Mon, I…” Savi was almost lost for words. “You didn’t have to tell us that…”

“It’s fine,” Fen said firmly; at least he hoped it sounded firm. He’d not gone into much detail about his previous life, but just having to _think_ about that part of his memories was difficult enough. “You deserve to know.”

Zephia too looked quite taken aback. She said little in response, but looked at Fen with a respect, even admiration that he hadn’t seen before.

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Ryu conveniently found a change of topic. “So Zephia… you’ve evolved too,” he said, a glint in his eyes. “How’d it happen?”

Zephia just shrugged. “There’s no dramatic story like yours. I was in a fight – with another Dark, actually. They were clever, but I outfought them, and just after I got the finishing slash, my body felt really… fiery. Like it had all this energy. But that felt really good, so I just let it come over me… then I realised I was evolving.”

“…That’s it?”

“What else is there to say?”

“I dunno… wasn’t it weird at first? Like, you’re walking on two legs now.”

“Well, it did take a while to get used to that. Even now, it feels right to hunch over a bit. More stable, closer to the ground. I think that’s natural for Zoroark, though.”

“Must’ve been cool to have proper arms, though.”

“Again, I’d gotten used to managing without.”

“Arms are overrated, anyway,” Savi smirked, appearing to sense Ryu’s building frustration with Zephia’s utter lack of enthusiasm. “They’re so limited. _Vines_ , though, they can do pretty much anything.”

“They can’t land a killer punch,” Ryu objected.

Savi opened his mouth, then paused. “Vines fight more… elegantly than that. Meaning they’d trip you up instead.”

“Hmmm.” Ryu grinned. “Savi, aren’t you supposed to evolve again some time?”

Savi’s smile suddenly dropped. “I am, yeah,” he said.

Ryu raised his eyelids. “Is that… a bad thing?”

“No, it’s just…” Savi sighed. “I don’t really _want_ to evolve again? I’ve seen Venusaur before, and they carry such a huge weight on their backs, and move so slowly… it’s just not what I want. They’re powerful, sure, but I wanna be able to run around, y’know?” He smiled bashfully. “Probably my fault for growing up with a group of Electrics who are built for that sort of thing.”

This detail suddenly caught Fen’s interest. “You can stop yourself evolving, can’t you?” he asked. He had definite memories of such a practice happening in beauty contests, where it seemed the smaller and cuter the Pokémon, the better. He silently cursed at the reminder of it.

“Well, _apparently_ ,” Savi answered. “I’ve never seen it happen. But some say you can stop yourself mid-process if you think hard enough about it. Others I’ve heard say the evolution won’t happen at all, if you really _don’t want_ it to. I hope that’s true.”

They were interrupted by a sudden flash of light from the window. Mesprit appeared in the room, and along with her were two almost identical-looking Pokémon. The only difference in their floating, jewel-encrusted bodies were the colour and shape of their heads; while Mesprit’s was pink, with long appendages, another’s was yellow and rounded, and the third blue and pointed.

Mesprit addressed their stunned expressions. “These are my sister guardians, Uxie and Azelf,” she said out loud, which made them jump again, even though it was no different from her telepathic voice. “I have been able to reach them, at last, and now I can confirm a few details about Sky Pillar. It is all clear to travel.”

“You can speak now,” Ryu stated.

“Yes. I need to, given Darks like Zephia cannot pick up telepathy.” Mesprit glanced at the Zoroark. “It’s good to finally meet you, Zephia.”

Zephia looked warily back at the tiny bundle of light. “You too… Mesprit.”

“If everyone’s ready, we’ll explain,” Mesprit said.

“Um.” Fen glanced at Ryu. “There’s one _small_ thing…”

He explained the alcohol mishap as quickly as possible to her. “So do you think you could, like… check he’s still fine?” he finished. Ryu looked thoroughly embarrassed at this point.

Thankfully, Mesprit only took him seriously. “I can check his general mental state, which should reveal anything unusual. This will only take a moment, Ryu.”

Ryu closed his eyes and squirmed for a few seconds, then Mesprit opened hers. “He’s fine. I cannot see any irregularities.”

Fen gave a sigh of relief. “In that case, we are ready.” _At least, as ready as we can be…_

Mesprit nodded. The yellow Pokémon called Uxie spoke, in a soft, dreamy voice. “We cannot travel closer than the very edge of Sky Pillar, due to the barrier Rayquaza imposed on us. So once there, you must climb the rest yourselves. It is only a moderate height. At the top, there is a key that will gain you entry into the fortress itself.”

Mesprit continued. “We don’t know exactly what the key is – those matters were Rayquaza’s work. But this is where you come in, Ryu. Have you gotten a grasp of your aura by now?”

“Huh?” Ryu said. “I… well, I think so…”

“Good. You’ll need to search for a strong aura up there; whatever that belongs to should be the key. It shouldn’t be difficult to find, as the Pillar is derelict of anything other than rocks.

“None of us will be able to communicate with you once you’ve gone past the barrier,” the final guardian, Azelf, added in an assertive tone. “And this storm is as bad as I’ve seen, so stay together on the journey up.” She clapped her hands together, though they made no discernible sound. “We’ll be cheering for you! You can do it!”

“On that point…” Mesprit turned to Fen. “Once you cross the barrier, I believe the link our minds share will be broken.”

“What? Will that mean anything bad?” Fen asked, eyes wide.

“For you, there should be little to worry about,” Mesprit said. “You may get a little psychic sensation, but that would be all. That small part of my soul belongs to you now. It cannot be removed.”

Fen relaxed, but slowly realised what Mesprit was implying. “Will _you_ be okay?”

“I will lose a proportion of my powers, yes. But as long as I live, I can recover from any level of damage with time. Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay…” Fen nodded slowly. “We won’t be able to speak telepathically anymore, though?”

“Yes. But that shouldn’t be an issue. I will keep my mind on you while you’re gone.”

“Well… okay.” Fen frowned. He felt like he needed to ask more, but trusted that Mesprit had it all worked out. They _had_ to trust her.

“To teleport, you need to be touching some part of me,” Mesprit went on, addressing the four of them now. “I would suggest holding my tails. Uxie and Azelf will stay here; more than one Pokémon teleporting to the same location at once is not wise.”

She hovered to be between them. Ryu put his aura-slashed bag over his shoulders, and joined Fen, Savi and Zephia in a rough square around Mesprit.

Fen glanced at the others’ expressions. Ryu seemed a little worried by the new responsibility thrust upon him. Savi’s body was tense, but he wore a fierce look of determination. Zephia was impossible to read.

There really was no going back from here, he thought. They would come out of Sky Pillar with either the world saved, or nothing. Both scenarios seemed impossible to imagine.

“Ready?” Mesprit asked again, and this time they barked an impatient chorus of approval back at her. “Brace yourselves, then,” she said. “We go on three: one, two–”

Another flash of light; then the world vanished.


End file.
